Our intensive therapy programs, which may include combinations of occupational, physiotherapy, & speech therapy, are customised for each child based on their needs & goals.
At NAPA Centre, we use the Intensive Model of Therapy (IMOT) when treating children with cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders. This treatment model is increasingly used throughout the world as patients, therapists, and doctors recognise it’s many benefits and outstanding results. NAPA therapists create a customised program for each patient that varies in time, duration, intensity, and tools used.
High repetitions of exercises consolidated over a short period time capitalises on the principles of neuroplasticity and motor learning, and can result in gains towards goals typically seen in children after longer periods of traditional therapies. It’s not uncommon for patients to gain inchstones or even milestones during their three week program.
NAPA therapists work with you and your child to create goals for each intensive session. With a wide plethora of tools and modalities to draw upon such Dynamic Movement Intervention, NeuroSuit, the Multifunctional Therapy Unit (SpiderCage), VitalStim, AAC, ESTIM, and Galileo Vibration Plate, your team of therapists collaborate to choose those that make the most sense for your child’s needs and goals
Based upon a client’s age, diagnosis, and goals, an intensive therapy program can range from 2-6 hours a day, 5 days a week for 3 weeks. Utilising an interdisciplinary approach of Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech, therapy sessions combine play, therapeutic exercises and activities, and most importantly FUN to help your loved one accomplish their goals.
In an intensive session a child may get to practice walking in a gait trainer, refine their gait on the treadmill in the spider cage, trial new switches to access an AAC device, improve their chewing technique to progress from purees to solids, shake it up with vibration on the Galileo plate while doing their squat to stands, and utilise neuromuscular electrical stimulation (Estim) to decrease spasticity in a tight arm and hand.
While 4 (or even more) hours a day might seem like a lot, children THRIVE on the challenge, routine, repetition, and fun that intensive sessions bring. Our therapists are adept at motivating and engaging, addressing “behaviours” with sensory strategies and play, modifying plans and pushing through fatigue, and celebrating our participants’ successes to foster self-confidence and self-efficacy.
No intensive therapy session is complete without the Home Exercise Program. Our therapists spend the last few days of each intensive session recording “How To” videos and teaching YOU, the caregiver, how to help your child with exercises to do at home to keep the momentum going. Be prepared to roll up your sleeves and practice with the coaching and mentorship of our talented team.
Children as young as 8-10 months old with a variety of diagnoses benefit from intensive therapy programs including but not limited to spina bifida, neurodevelopmental disorders, cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, and genetic and metabolic conditions to name a few.
If you think your child or loved one may benefit from intensive therapy at NAPA, please complete our patient intake forms as your first step.
Not sure where to start? We’d love to hear about your child’s specific needs and share with you all that we have to offer him or her at NAPA. Feel free to contact our team to begin the journey to creating an individualised therapy solution!
