Formerly known as SMILE Therapy for Kids Calgary
5970 Centre St S, Unit 100 Calgary, AB, T2H0C2
Intensive Therapy Model or 'Therapy Intensives'
WHAT IS THE INTENSIVE THERAPY MODEL?
The Intensive Therapy Model (also referred to as "Therapy Intensive" or just "Intensive" is a rapidly growing medical treatment for children living with neurological and genetic disorders like Cerebral Palsy (CP), Cystic Fibrosis, and Muscular Dystrophy, Downs Syndrome, Retts Syndrome, Angelman Syndrome and many others. Over the past two decades there has been a shift toward Intensive Therapy, and away from more traditional forms of therapy provided to children living with cerebral palsy and other genetic and neurological disorders. Intensive Therapy differs from traditional forms of therapy by increasing the frequency and intensity of children’s therapy sessions. Drawing from a wide variety of treatments such as occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physiotherapy, the Intensive Therapy Model ensures that every child receives a combination of intensive therapies that are specifically tailored to the unique physical and intellectual challenges that are posed by neurological disorders.
Did you know that the Canadian Centre for Development is the only pediatric clinic in Western Canada that offers multidisciplinary Therapy Intensives?
Our daughter just finished her first intensive and we couldn’t be happier with the support and care she got from the staff and all the therapists that worked with her. One of our main goals for her was improving her balance and she made huge gains. It made our hearts sing to see her improve each day from the fun, but challenging sessions. We will definitely be coming back again! - Samantha S. (Nov 2023)
Any time that an Intensive Therapy model was studied, in comparison to a control group utilizing traditional therapy, the Intensive Therapy participants saw better results than their controlled peers. This Journal of Child Neurology 2014 article summarizes 19 such studies, all of which showed strong evidence for intensive therapy improving function and plasticity. The therapy dose in the studies varied from 40 to 120 hours and was augmented by a home program.
Example of such studies are a 2007 Emory University School of Medicine study focused on children with hemiplegic CP, where those taking part in a 2-week intensive, accompanied by a month-long 1-2 hr/day daily home program, were compared to a control group. The treated children all saw improvements in 11 out of the 12 functions being tested, whereas the control group remained unchanged.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND INTENSIVE THERAPY
WHO IS A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR A THERAPY INTENSIVE?
While the Intensive Therapy Model is a diverse and effective model that could be used to treat many conditions, the Canadian Centre for Development focuses on employing Intensive Therapy as a treatment for children living with neurological disorders. Neurological and genetic conditions often present unique physical and intellectual challenges, therefore, we ensure that each child will receive a custom set of services that are specifically tailored to meet their needs. Through intensive forms of pediatric physiotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, pediatric massage and a variety of innovative forms of equipment and delivery models, Canadian Centre For Development will ensure that taking part in the Intensive Therapy model will help advance the child’s development and quality of life.
Intensive therapy can be booked in 5-day blocks, typically stretching out Monday to Friday, with each of these blocks comprising of at least 10 therapy hours (typically 2 hours per day). Depending on the endurance and age of the child, each 5-day block could be built up to up to 20 therapy hours (i.e. 4 hours of therapy per day).
For optimal results, if families’ resources allow, we recommend that a child take part in intensive therapy once a quarter and for each intensive blocks to be at least 2-weeks in length.
HOW ARE THERAPY INTENSIVES DELIVERED?
HOW MUCH DO THERAPY INTENSIVES COST?
To inquire about costs, please contact the clinic. Being that each Therapy Intensive is unique and custom-tailored to each child and family's needs, the costs vary.
One-week Therapy Intensives start at $CAN 1,400 and go up from there with the intensity and length of the visit.
The Canadian Centre For Development Calgary clinic is located in central Calgary, just a few minutes drive from downtown, and one block from the Light Rail Train (LRT) station.
Read more here.
WHERE TO STAY & WHAT TO DO
More Research Supporting the Therapy Intensive Model
A study assessing the effectiveness of a 3-week therapy intensive with children with neurological conditions concluded that it leads to a 176% increase in physical function and a greater likeliness of meeting of therapeutic goals. - Bond University, 2017
A 4-week Therapy Intensive involving 2 hours of therapy per day with children with CP under 2 years of age led to an increase in Gross Motor Function Measure and Bayley Gross Motor Assessment Scores. - Heathcock, 2017
It has been found that intensive therapy for children with unilateral CP can improve their upper extremity function. Children in the experiment group had increased frequency of use for their upper extremities and the quality of the upper extremity use increased compared to the control group who just received their traditional therapy. - Columbia University, 2007
Meet a Few of our Therapy Intensive Warriors
