Diagnosis
In our first meeting, we would like to get to know you and the current reasons for your visits to get a first impression of your child. We analyze your child’s stage of development and existing motoric conditions. In addition, we look into the child’s cognitive stage of development, its communicative and social skills and its playing as well as its practical everyday skills.
We evaluate gross motor movements (locomotion) as well as hand-motor and mouth motoric skills. If anomalies are identified, we search for possible causes regarding bodily functions and structures and lack of appropriate adaption in the child’s everyday setting, which might retard its motor development.
By using available standardized tests, we try to specify existing conditions to ensure objectivity in the therapy we want to develop. The tests also help to control the therapeutic progress which is documented on video.
Therapy
The aim of our therapeutic approach is to influence motor skill development in a way that helps to attain the child’s best possible independence and participation. It is not necessary to wait until deficits are developing. The earlier the therapeutic intervention, the better the chances are for each child to attain and realized its full capabilities, thus minimizing the scope of its impairment more efficiently.
The treatment is guided by the knowledge of the specific difficulties that can be expected according to the different medical conditions and their consequential damages. Children with neurologic conditions still are children who learn. Therefore, our treatment does not just guide the child to a limited development, but uses the plasticity of the brain.
Based on the results of our diagnosis and evaluation, we design an individual training plan for every child. The treatment is based on the principles of motoric learning, including a repetitive exercising approach and a high treatment intensity.
The training is conducted in a setting of guided play appropriate to the child’s age. This approach is used for motivating the child by achieving small successes. To transfer the exercises into everyday life, we try to replicate your child’s environment as closely as possible by including everyday objects in the treatment. Therefore, the participation and education of key caregivers and attachment figures is crucial.
Despite the fact that the exercises can be demanding, we try to convey the joy of success and of learning a new motor skill to the children.