Our team members have specialties in these areas, depending upon their particular discipline. All the therapists use eclectic treatment, meaning, they use their knowledge and expertise to treat what works best for each patient during each session. Often, our treatments are difficult to discern the difference between the disciplines of PT, OT and/or ST because we overlap with each other on purpose. For example, a PT may be working on a gross motor goal such as standing, balance, or coordination but also carrying over a fine motor or speech goal to more holistically treat each child.
Here are some of the many programs we utilize to create a unique, evidence-based program for your child and a very short description of each. If you would like further information on any of the programs, please text 727-415-7541 or email a request to joyfulmotion@msn.com
- Neurodevelopmental Technique (NDT)
- Myofascial Release
- Handwriting Without Tears
- “How Does Your Engine Run” (Alert Program)
- Kinesiotaping
- Loops and Groups
- Brain Gym
- Sensory Integration Awareness
- Tscharnuter Movement
- Vibration Platform (for proprioception)
- Vestibular and Balance Rehabilitation
Visual Motor and Perceptual Rehabilitation
Linda-Mood Bell Visualizing and Verbalizing Program
Orton-Gillingham Phonics Program
- Proprioceptive Neurodevelopmental Facilitation (PNF)
- Electro Therapeutic Point Stimulation (ETPS)
- Vital Stim
- Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
- Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets (PROMPT)
- Lidcombe
- Beckman (Talk Tools)
- Infant Massage
Adaptive Equipment Assessment
- Adaptive Typing
- Oral Motor Program
Therapy Programs:
Specialty Programs:
Adaptive Equipment Assessment is done on a case-by-case basis for many types of adaptive equipment depending on the child’s needs. Your therapist will make recommendations for appropriate technology, bracing and equipment that can be utilized in the home to improve overall functional outcomes. Additionally, your therapist may work with outside vendors to secure funding or charitable donation of these items if it is available.
Adaptive Typing is a specific modality that is used for children with various difficulties with fine motor precision skills, auditory processing, or speech and language deficits. Computer use can help decrease possible hand weakness, spelling assistance, and encourage verbal output. Computer Dictation is another modality to assist with motor coordination difficulties and dyslexia where the child can verbalize their expressive needs without using motor skills.
Dolphin Electrotherapeutic Point Stimulation (ETPS) locates and applies concentrated DC microcurrent to therapeutically active points (acupuncture & trigger) for the purpose of relaxing muscles, calming the nervous system, and releasing endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers. Additionally, this technique can be used to decrease pain, release scar tissue and enhance the effects of massage and stretching techniques.
Handwriting Without Tears applies research-based techniques for hands-on learning when it comes to teaching handwriting in a fun and interactive way. It was developed by Occupational Therapists to approach handwriting from a more developmentally appropriate approach, empowering pre-K to 5th grade children to use multi-sensory learning to strengthen their handwriting skills.
(Alert Program) promote awareness of how we regulate our arousal status. Encourage use of sensory-motor strategies and help parents/teachers understand behavior (between organization of nervous system and child) to adapt and efficiently respond to task.
Infant Massage has been researched and shown to have positive effects on the infant’s self-regulation, digestion, sleep patterns, increasing brain activity, increasing visual acuity, and weight gain in premature or failure to thrive infants. Additionally, infant massage supports bonding and attachment between the infant and caregivers which decreases postnatal depression in mothers and enhances parental skills to promote healthy child development.
Kinesiotaping - The clinical application of the Kinesio Taping Method is the systematic application of several layers of the Kinesio Taping Technique with each layer having specific function. There are 6 correction application techniques: mechanical, fascia, space, ligament/tendon, functional, and lymphatic.
"Loops and Other Groups" is a kinesthetic writing system that provide systematic steps for letter analysis and more efficient motor and memory cues for children. These strategies simplify the learning of functional handwriting. The student can clearly visualize and verbalize the movement pattern while experiencing the "feel" of the letter. Student will not learn the 26 letters individually in alphabetic order, instead they learn a group of letters which share common movement patterns.
Myofascial Release involves a gentle form of stretching and compression. Also referred to as “soft tissue mobilization”, this special therapy releases the uneven tightness in fascia. Fascia is the dense, tough tissue that surrounds and covers the body’s organs, muscles and bones. To begin each treatment, the therapist finds the area of tightness and applies light pressure and/or stretch to the tight area. The therapist waits for the tissue to relax and then increases the stretch. The process is repeated until the area is fully relaxed. Myofascial release has been used to improve the health of the muscles and fascia, improve circulation and restore good posture. It has been used to treat: feeding and speech disorders, spasticity, scoliosis, pain, neurological disorders, movement dysfunction, and orthopedic disorders.
Orton–Gillingham is a specific, structured teaching approach that was designed to help struggling readers. It explicitly teaches the connections between letters and sounds. Many reading programs include Orton–Gillingham ideas.
Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) is a more advanced manual form of flexibility and strength training, which involves both the stretching and contracting of the muscle group being targeted. PNF stretching is one of the most effective forms of stretching for improving flexibility and increasing range of motion. Additionally, PNF exercises strengthen muscles which challenge and develop proprioceptive receptors. Proprioception helps to stabilize a joint during static and dynamic functional tasks.
Sensory integration is a research-based approach developed by occupational therapist A. Jean Ayres to help children with sensory-processing difficulties. Sensory integration involves the processing, integration, and organization of sensory information from the body and the environment. This includes the way we experience and react to proprioceptive input (body awareness and position), vestibular input (awareness of movement, balance, and coordination), tactile input (touch), visual input (sight), auditory input (hearing), olfactory input (smell), and gustatory input (taste). At Joyful Motion, we incorporate sensory integration awareness during all treatments and across therapy disciplines (OT, PT, and ST).
Vestibular and Balance Rehabilitation in children addresses the dependent relationship between the visual, vestibular and proprioceptive systems to maintain a child’s balance for functional skills. Your sense of balance relies on connections between your central nervous system (brain) and your sensory system. Your sensory system includes:
-Your vestibular canals in your inner ear: These canals send messages to your brain when your turn your head and otolith organs react to gravity and movement.
-Your vision: Your eyes send your brain impulses that show where your body is in relation to other objects.
-Your skin, joints and muscles: When your body moves, it puts pressure on your tissues. Your tissues send signals to your brain, telling it where your body is in relation to space. For example, if you’re standing up and you lean back, you put pressure on the tissues in the back of your foot and lower leg. That pressure lets your brain know you’re leaning instead of standing straight.
Your Central Nervous System pulls this information together so it can tell your body how to maintain balance. When something interferes with this system’s connection, your Central Nervous System can’t process information correctly. Vestibular and Balance Rehabilitation works to restore these connections and allow the child to have functional balance for life skills.
Vibration Platform Therapy is a newer modality within the rehab setting but there is increasing scientific evidence showing vibration therapy (VT) is an effective rehabilitation tool for children with neuromuscular disorders, including cerebral palsy (CP), autism and low muscle tone. Randomized studies show VT has been found to be effective in improving mobility, proprioception and strength, as well as bone mineral density, gross motor function, and quality of life in children and young adults with developmental delays.