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Services Provided:
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Children referred for physical therapy are evaluated to determine how they move and perform everyday gross motor developmental tasks. The therapists assess strength, balance, coordination, range of motion, posture, and specific skill levels such as sitting, crawling, walking, and higher-level movement skills. The physical therapy treatment program emphasizes the philosophies of Neurodevelopment Therapy (NDT, http://www.ndta.org) and has NDT trained therapists on staff. The physical therapists may include other treatment philosophies such as craniosacral therapy and myofascial release. Therapy may also include use of the therapeutic pool in some of the therapy sessions or as an adjunct to therapy for a parent/child home program. The physical therapists work very closely with the family and other professionals in order to meet the needs of each child.
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 The occupational therapists are trained in providing ongoing assessment of a child's fine motor, visual perceptual, sensory processing, movement patterns, and everyday functional self-care skills. Treatment sessions incorporate play activities to address a child's needs. The occupational therapist may also incorporate the use of splinting, adaptive equipment, therapeutic listening, and other sensory integrative techniques to help maximize each child's potential. Working closely with the family and other caregivers, the occupational therapist provides education and training to further promote the child's development outside of the treatment setting. |
The speech therapists in Childrens Services at Cerebral Palsy, Inc. have training and experience in evaluating and treating children with disorders or delays in speech, language, and feeding development. Therapy is available to meet needs in the following areas:
- oral-motor development
- pre-speech and early language development
- development of speech sound production
- augmentative communication (the use of picture symbol communication)
- sign language use with speech and as language development
- fluency development (stuttering)
Parent education and training is provided with the therapist designing the individual course of treatment and assisting in implementing stategies to remediate or develop their child's communication skills. When language skills are related to sensory issues the speech therapists also work very closely with the occupational therapists when therapeutic listening and sensory integration techniques are implemented. |
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The therapists providing feeding therapy are specially trained in identifying and treating children who may have difficulties with sucking, swallowing, chewing, and eating various textures of food to the point where they may be failing to thrive. Some of the children may be very selective in their choices of food types and textures that are placed in their mouth or are visually aversive to some foods. With sensory issues attached to their feeding, the speech therapist may work very closely with the occupational therapist using sensory integrative techniques as well. Other children may have feeding tubes and need oral stimulation and exercises to prepare their mouth if and when the feeding tube is removed. The therapists work very closely with parents and other caretakers, nutritionists, and physicians. As part of the feeding program, specialized equipment may be needed at which time the therapist will provide the equipment or adapt feeding equipment to meet the child's specific needs. |
Sensory Integration Therapy is a treatment approach which helps children learn how to make purposeful adaptive responses to sensory input from their environment. Typically our brains have the ability to receive, register, and process the information received from the environment. We act appropriately to the information we receive, such as covering our ears if a sound is too loud, dodging an object thrown at us, or tolerating food on our hands until we finish our meal or can wash them. For some children the sensory information in the form of touch, sound, smell, or the feeling of movement can somehow be lacking in interpretation and inappropriate responses occur. It then can interfere with a child's development in other areas including interaction with family and peers and learning in the school setting. There may also be delays in language comprehension, coordination, body awareness, motor planning, appropriate activity levels, and emotional stability. Through special techniques of sensory integration therapy, these children learn to organize the sensory input and choose responses that will help them move, learn, and behave in a more appropriate manner. The occupational therapist will evaluate the child using parent surveys and standardized testing. If a sensory integrative disorder is identified, an individualized program is developed which may include center-based activities as well as home and school based activities. It may also include other specialized programs and therapy techniques such as the Therapeutic Listening Program and Speech Language Therapy. |
All of the senses (touch, movement, smell, taste, hearing, and vision) facilitate an individual's understanding of the world and enhance skill
development. Difficulties in one or a combination of the senses can impact many areas of development and function. Therapeutic listening is a
form of sensory integration that uses sound vibrations to stimulate skill development. Therapeutic listening is a structured home program
directed by the therapist. It may include one or a combination of specifically designed CDs. The potential benefits of the therapeutic
listening program are numerous and depend on the individual. Improvements may be seen in these areas:
- Increased receptive and expressive language
- Improved sensory processing and sensory defensiveness
- Increased general skill and motor development
- Increased emotional stability and self-regulation
Equipment for this program includes specially designed headphones, a quality disc player, and electronically altered discs chosen by the therapist. The therapists administering this technique have received advanced training in sound and sensory integration because care must be taken in implementing this program. |
 A variety of equipment is available for loan through Children's Services. Equipment has been purchased from standard equipment providers and some of it has been adapted for specific children's needs. The supply is somewhat limited, and although it is primarily for children enrolled in the Cerebral Palsy Center's Childrens Program, it may also be loaned out on a temporary basis. Temporary equipment loans help families make the right decisions when it comes to purchasing costly equipment. It enables families to try a piece of adaptive equipment to insure that it meets the needs of their child prior to purchasing something. Consultation to other therapists and parents is also available through Outreach Services. |
Outreach Services is designed to provide support services for individuals or families who are not being currently served by other programs within our agency.
The Community Outreach Specialist provides information and referral, advocacy, assistance in obtaining financial resources, and other support services as may be needed by individuals or families.
Children and adults throughout Northeastern Wisconsin who have disabilities are eligible for services. There is no fee for services.
For more information contact a Community Outreach Specialist by calling (920)337-1122 or email amurphy@cp-center.org.
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Contact Us  
Cerebral Palsy, Inc. provides services for the people of Northeast Wisconsin (WI) to promote community involvement, inclusion, and to enhance the quality of life of persons affected by temporary or permanent physical, sensory, and/or speech needs or conditions.
Cerebral Palsy, Inc. is an independent, 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. |
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