Intensives
Frequently Asked Questions
The younger, the better! The earlier we can introduce the brain to correct movement patterns, the better chances we will have in developing more effective and efficient movements and avoid bad habits.
While DMI is intensive, research shows that children can tolerate an hour of strong exercises. Exposing children to this level of activity assists in increasing their level of alertness, increasing their awareness, and builds the foundation needed to gain fine motor and oral motor skills. We will work with your child to ensure that they can tolerate the level of activity expected of them.
DMI can be highly beneficial for children with visual impairments, as the movement patterns provide strong sensory input that enhances body awareness through the proprioceptive and vestibular systems. Children often respond well to these exercises, regardless of their level of visual acuity.
A seizure disorder on its own does not automatically make a child ineligible for DMI or intensive services. However, for your child’s safety and well-being, it is important that seizures are generally well-managed and under control. We encourage you to share details about your child’s specific seizure history and presentation so we can ensure the most appropriate and safe care during their sessions.
Please discuss this with us during intake, as we will need to better understand your child’s ability to actively control their hips.
Please inform us of any lengthening procedures and the dates of those procedures during the intake process. It is generally recommended that a child wait a minimum of 8–12 weeks post-operation before performing weight-bearing exercises. We will also require medical clearance from your surgeon before beginning the intensive.
The presence of medical lines does not prevent your child from participating in these interventions, but it does require us to take additional precautions. Please inform us about any lines or medical equipment your child uses so we can work together to ensure their safety and prevent any risk of dislodgement.
We make every effort to welcome and support as many children as possible in our programs. However, osteogenesis imperfecta is the only diagnosis that is fully contraindicated for DMI and intensive therapy. If your child experiences uncontrolled seizures despite medical treatment, we may recommend postponing intensive therapy to ensure their safety.
We understand that not every medical condition can be listed here, so all other diagnoses will be carefully reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
We want to accept as many children as possible, as we know that there are limited programs offering DMI and intensive therapy services. Therefore, we ask our families to be committed to attending and participating. However, we do recognize that life happens—illness occurs, and unexpected issues come up. Our cancellation policy is as follows:
- 181+ Days: Full return of deposit.
- 61-180 Days: $100 cancellation fee and the remaining portion of your deposit will go towards a future booking of an intensive program scheduled within the next 12 months.
- 31-60 Days: $500 cancellation fee and the remaining portion of your deposit will go towards a future booking of an intensive program scheduled within the next 12 months.
- Less than 30 days: You forfeit your deposit, but any balance you have paid towards sessions will be credited towards a future booking of an intensive program scheduled within the next 12 months.
** Please note, if another intensive is not scheduled within the next 12 months, you forfeit any remaining deposit balance.
We will make every effort to keep all scheduled and booked appointments, and cancellations will only occur in extenuating circumstances beyond our control. If we have to cancel any sessions or part of your intensive program, we will refund the full amount for any missed sessions.
ATS Intensive Information
Intensives are 2 weeks long
5 days per week, 1 session per day.
Each intensive session is 2 hours long: 30 minutes OT, 1 hour co-treat of OT and PT, then 30 minutes of PT
- An ATS intensive session may include several DMI exercises, stretches, NISE-stim/TASES protocol, primitive reflex integration, sensory input and exploration, and working on age-appropriate gross and fine motor skills. Sessions often include the vibration plate, astronaut board, swing, and trampoline.
- Intensives can be physically and emotionally exhausting. However, the progress made during an intensive makes the hard work worth it.
- One of the most important aspects of continued progress with an intensive is the home exercise program, which will be provided to you during the last few days of your intensive. You will receive exercises, play activities, and sensory activities to continue with your child after the intensive. This helps your child maintain and build upon the skills gained during the program. We will ensure you feel comfortable performing the exercises and following the sensory plan before you leave. Continuing a home program is essential to your child’s progress.
What Is DMI?
Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI) is a specialized therapeutic approach delivered by certified physical and occupational therapists to help children develop and enhance their gross and fine motor skills. Through targeted exercises, DMI activates automatic postural responses and stimulates neuroplasticity to facilitate new neuronal connections, supporting a child’s ability to move toward upright positions and reach key developmental milestones. This therapy promotes neurological maturity and emphasizes functional mobility, aiming to help your child achieve their fullest movement potential.
Who is DMI for?
Regardless of level of cognition and extent of neurological deficit or damage, affected children benefit from DMI motor intervention as it pertains to stimulating neuroplasticity in the developing brain. Children diagnosed with any type of motor delay, including conditions such as Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, global developmental delay, hypotonia, chromosomal abnormalities or genetic disorders, spinal cord lesions, or acquired brain injury, may benefit from this form of therapy. Children at risk, such as those born prematurely, can also benefit due to the strong neuroplastic changes this treatment stimulates within the developing brain.
What happens during DMI?
After a brief assessment, the therapist will identify areas of deficit, which will guide the treatment plan. The therapist selects exercises that challenge the child’s neurological system at the highest appropriate level while also targeting core strength and foundational developmental milestones. These exercises involve movement against gravity, progressively reduced support, provocation of desired movements, and postural and strength challenges.
During a treatment session, the child will complete a variety of exercises that provide novel and diverse sensory and motor challenges, with each exercise typically repeated around five times. Exercises may be repeated across sessions until movements become automatic, leading to improved balance and overall function. Depending on the child’s abilities, exercises are performed on a tabletop or the floor.
DMI therapy works well in conjunction with other therapeutic techniques and equipment, which are often incorporated into sessions to promote better alignment and enhance optimal outcomes.
DMI focuses on:
(Premises and tenets of practice)
- Gross motor skills – Improving gross motor skills of children from birth by developing automatic motor movement (promotes neurological maturity).
- Gradual progression – Continuously increasing the challenge to encourage the child to respond with greater independence.
- Alignment and Postural Control – All exercises focus on optimal anatomical alignment and stimulate postural control and verticality.
- Range of Motion – Muscle and joint range of motion is achieved through movement (dynamic and functional stretching).
- Balance – Improved balance is a common thread throughout most DMI exercises.
- Functional movements – Improving actions and skills that lead to milestones such as rolling, sitting, standing, and walking.
- Somatosensory Development – Strong sensory input from exercises sends afferent messages to the brain, helping create specialized synapses that refine balance, muscle control, and movement.
- Modifying tone, primitive reflexes, and abnormal movement patterns – DMI promotes normalized movement patterns to support the integration of disruptive primitive reflexes in children with neurological dysfunction.
- Global Development – While DMI focuses on gross motor skills, many other skills develop as a result of this intensive intervention.