Let’s get Physical
by Denise Kilburn, PT
Pediatric Therapy Services uses some very unusual “help” to
get your special needs child going and going strong! This “help”
is always consistent, never faltering, strong, and dependable and each “helper”
has a very funny name: There is the spider, the monkey cage (no, we aren’t
going to the zoo) and the TheraSuit. The Pediatric Therapy Services staff
of specialty trained physical and occupational therapists know how to push
these other staff “helpers” when delivering the customized TheraSuit/Suit
Therapy program to your child.
What happens in Suit Therapy? Rather than the traditional weekly therapy programs of maybe one to two times per week for 30 or 60 minutes, the Therasuit program goes intensive to deliver quality therapy for 2 to 4 hours per day, 5 days per week for 3 weeks to your child. It is well documented that the benefit of a consistent fitness program and intensive physical activity is of benefit to all of us.
So, what are our special helpers?
The Monkey cage looks like a big white cage. The spider and pulley systems are attached to it to allow the therapist multiple attachments for exercises and activities to create length, strength and function in the child.
The spider looks like a weight lifters belt with specialized ring attachments. The child wears it around their waist, already feeling stronger when attached. The attachments hook bungee cords securely to the monkey cage in specifically determined spots. When the child is placed in a desirable developmental position, the spider is able to assist or resist the child’s movement thus creating successes and movement the child may not before have experienced.
The THERASUIT is constructed of a breathable material with
a headpiece, vest, shorts, knee and shoe attachments. The THERASUIT is positioned
on the child’s body. The therapist attaches elastic bands connecting
the pieces of the THERASUIT in patterns specified for each individual child
to either help, hold, or change a muscles pull. By doing this, the therapist
together with the THERASUIT, begins to teach the child’s body to function
as a whole. The THERASUIT serves as an accelerator assisting the child with
the memory of movement. By offering external stabilization/pressure while
the child exercises and moves, the child feels safe and secure as the nervous
system begins to normalize.
Children with special needs diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, Developmental
Delay, Traumatic Brain Injury, Post-Stroke, sensory issues involving poor
special awareness, tactile-vestibular dysfunction and children with un-balanced
skeletal systems, and other neuromuscular disorders are at an even greater
risk for health issues than the regular population.
The suit therapy program targets weakness, tone and the de-conditioning brought on by limited physical activity. By upping the intensity of a child’s exercise program, adding the use of the TheraSuit, Monkey Cage, the spider and our specialized staff we are able to develop strength for stability, range for bio-mechanical alignment and functional changes for everyday life at home, school and in the community.
Combined with traditional therapies, the Therasuit program can give the special needs child and family a jump-start on achieving their long-range goals.
What else do we do?
• Suit Therapy
• Intensive Therapy
• Sensory Integrative Therapy
• Therapeutic Listening
• Handwriting without Tears
• Specialists in Sensory Processing Disorders
• Oral-motor/feeding therapy
Who do we help?
• Developmental Delay
• Torticollis
• Autistic Spectrum Disorder
• Language disorders
• Feeding disorders
• Sensory Processing disorders
• Cerebral Palsy
• Neuromuscular Dysfunction
What do we offer?
Quality physical, occupational, speech language therapy delivered one on one in a caring atmosphere by dedicated professionals. Our clinics have been providing services for 20 years to really great kids and awesome families!
Brandon
206 Ridgewood Avenue
Brandon, FL 33510
(813)662-1060
Lakeland
1215 East Orange Street
Lakeland, FL 33801
(863) 802-3800