Sensory Integration

Sensory integration are interventions designed to identify, prevent, and remediate deficits related to sensory skills, motor skills, sensitivities, and functional performance. The goal is to improve the client’s health and participation through engagement in everyday activities. At Special CHEERS, therapist use sensory integration as a frame of reference for sensory related issues that affect the client’s ability to behave adaptively, participate in daily life activities, or engage in meaningful and developmentally appropriate activities. Everything is utilized, including but not limited to the environment, the animals, trampolines, ramps, swings, hammocks and bicycles.

Fine Motor activities

Fine motor skills start with proximal stability and midline control to be able to have distal mobility.  Handwriting Without Tears, which was developed by an Occupational Therapist, is one of the curriculums that is utilized in treatment. HWT uses multisensory tools and developmentally appropriate strategies that get even most the reluctant child to writing.

Breastfeeding Education/Feeding

The beginning of independent life, the individual’s job is to suck, swallow, and breath.  If the SSB synchrony is not coordinated and does not allow for typical feeding, the individual starts to have regulation issues due to gasping and the inability to control flow of fluids and choking issues.  Feeding is a social issue and engagement begins at the first feed. If the feed is laborious, there is no time for relaxation and contentment. 

Berard Auditory Integration Training (AIT)

In AIT a client listens to music with a good tempo and a wide range of frequencies.  The music played though an Earducator stimulates the ear’s sensory hair cell fibers to perk up and receive sound codes evenly.  If the auditory system is not functioning ideally, then sensory issues develop.  When the processing of sound is slowed, expressive output is delayed or possibly non-functioning.

Dynavision

Dynavision is a visuomotor and cognitive assessment and training system that helps clients improve hand-eye coordination, reaction time and reaction speed.

Interactive Metronome

Interactive Metronome is a computer-based program that receives responses through a switch. When the switch is activated, the computer calculates how fast or slow the client responds to stimulus. This program is great for cortical timing and cross-hemispheric communication.

Therasuit

The Therasuit is a supportive equipment of a cap, vest and pants all connected by bungee cords. The cords provide tension to support and promote proper body alignment. The Therasuit can be worn during many activities at Special CHEERS.

Universal Exercise Cage

Often used with a Therasuit, the Universal Exercise Cage (aka Spider Cage), allows the therapist to isolate specific movements while the client is uniquely suspended. It helps with range of motion, flexibility, muscle strength, and vestibular stimulation.

Quadriciser

The Quadriciser allows the client to simulate crawling or walking. This equipment stimulates the brain while increasing circulation, range of motion, and endurance.

Kinesiotaping

Kinesiotaping is a rehabilitative taping technique designed to facilitate the body’s natural healing while providing support and stability to muscles and joints without restricting the body’s range of motion.  It also extends the benefits of manual therapy in the clinical setting.

Hippotherapy

Hippotherapy is used to describe the movement of the horse as part of the treatment strategy. Language, physical mobility, stability, strength, visual control, motor planning, self-esteem, and attention are just a few of the many advantages of using a horse as a tool of treatment.

Upledger-Craniosacral Therapy

Upledger-Craniosacral therapy uses an ultra soft touch, and gentle massage methods to improve the function of the central nervous system helping to relieve pain and dysfunction improving whole-body health.

Chickly Lymphatic Drainage Therapy

An original hands-on method of lymphatic drainage developed by Bruno Chikly, MD, of France.   LDT enables practitioners to detect the specific rhythm, direction, depth and quality of the lymph flow anywhere in the body. From there they can use their hands to perform Manual Lymphatic Mapping (MLM) of the vessels to assess overall circulation and determine the best alternate pathways for draining body-fluid stagnations. This tool is very beneficial for head congestion and assisting with preventing secondary effects of the congestion.

Visceral Manipulation Barrel

Visceral Manipulation is a method.  This one works through the body's visceral system (the heart, liver, intestines and other internal organs) to locate and alleviate abnormal points of tension.