DYNAMIC MOVEMENT INTERVENTION

Dynamic Movement Intervention is a specialized therapeutic technique that was adapted and updated from Cuevas Medek Exercises (CME) by the co-founders, Jake Kreindler of Get Your Baby Moving in NY and Jo-Anne Weltman of SMILE Therapy for Kids in Canada. DMI is a series of progressively challenging exercises that trained therapists take your child through in order to elicit the automatic postural responses of the brain to achieve upright, vertical positioning of the body. Your therapist will select exercises that will challenge the child and allow them to learn appropriate responses to movement that is both effective and efficient. With these exercises, we tap into the brain’s neuroplastic abilities to teach new pathways that they may have not developed through other traditional interventions. The DMI approach is intentionally challenging in order to push your child to their highest level of potential.

DMI is a therapeutic intervention that is appropriate for children across the full spectrum of level of activity and ability. Whether your child is still working on active cervical control or is walking and active, there are exercises that will continue to help them progress in stability and mobility. To be appropriate for DMI services, your child does not have to meet a prerequisite level of cognition, engagement, or activity. Many of the exercises require suspension, or “floating” in order to expose your child to gravity to elicit these responses. Therefore, your child’s size and weight in conjunction with current ability will be taken into consideration when determining appropriateness for DMI intervention at our clinic.

We know that receiving DMI has a great impact and a quicker response when done in an intensive setting. We also know how valuable ongoing DMI treatment is to ensure that your child continues to be progressed and challenged. This is why we offer both the intensive program as well as ongoing, weekly DMI sessions for local families that can make that commitment. Since our focus and passion is for intensive programs, first priority in scheduling will be given to families signed up for intensives. Ongoing, weekly sessions will be offered on an As Available option only, based on scheduling and availability. We will be upfront and open with you about scheduling capacity for ongoing services and greatly appreciate your flexibility with these appointments. In order to receive individual DMI sessions, your child must have completed an intensive program with DMI services either through us or another therapy program that offers similar intensive DMI sessions. This is to ensure that your child has had adequate exposure to DMI and that you as the caregiver have seen and been trained in providing ongoing DMI exercises at home without the assistance of a therapist.

Please see our “learn more” page for any other concerns you may have about whether your child is appropriate for DMI services.