Monday, June 20, 2011

Frequency of Therapy for Children with Cerebral Palsy

The frequency of school based therapy and medically based therapy is not a completely objective process for children with cerebral palsy. Therapists seem to base recommendations on research, education and their own experiences. One type of frequency that I rarely see prescribed is intensive bursts of therapy followed by rest periods with no therapy. This type of frequency has research to back it up showing the benefits of intensive therapy periods such as:
  • improved motor outcomes following the intensive periods and even during the rest periods'
  • improved family centered care and communication
  • improved cost effectiveness
When prescribing intensive bursts of therapy, it is most beneficial to start during a transition phase which is a time of increased variability. This can be difficult to determine when that time periods occurs for each child. Following the intensive period the rest period allows the child to practice the new skills that were learned.

If you see motor changes in a child with increased variability in their movements, do you consider an intensive burst of therapy? Would love to hear from any therapists who do provide intensive bursts of therapy especially in the school setting? Any tips for how you schedule it would be helpful.

Reference: Karen Sauve and Doreen Bartlett (2010) Dynamic Systems Theory: A Framework for Exploring Readiness to Change in Children with Cerebral Palsy. Retrieved from the web on 6/20/211 at http://www.canchild.ca/en/canchildresources/dynamic_systems_theory.asp

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

At Starfish Therapies we do intensive bursts of therapy especially with children with cerebral palsy and we see great results which can be shown using the Gross Motor Function Measure. This is all done in a clinic based setting although I think it could be great in the school setting as well to really get a boost in the child's skills.

Your Therapy Source Inc said...

I agree. I would love to hear from someone who is doing intensive burst of therapy in the school setting especially advice on how they schedule it.

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