Group Intensive Therapy
What is Group Intensive Therapy?
Therapy intensives typically involve one-on-one sessions delivered at a high dose, such as two to three hours per day for anywhere from one to three weeks, focusing on specific goals or gross motor skills. Our group-based intensives are designed around this model of high dose and frequency, but with the added benefits of:
- being delivered in a peer group situation
- out of the clinic, in the community
- practicing a fun, age appropriate, skill or task
Each child is still working on their own specific goals. This is a creative way of delivering evidence-based therapy that carries over into everyday activities in the community.
Who is Group Intensive Therapy for?
Group intensives are ideal for children who are more motivated to engage and practice when therapy is delivered in a fun, context-specific manner, often with friends. Children are naturally motivated by being around their peers, which makes the structured therapy we build into these sessions engaging.
Mixing ages and abilities in each group is incredibly beneficial for therapy and each child will still have their own individual therapy goals to focus on during the activities.
Working in a group also allows us to practice skills such as following routines / instructions, taking turns, communicating with others, regulating our emotions and socialising with peers – all of which impact our daily participation in activities.
What Does the Program Involve?
Group intensives involve activities that we can modify to cater for children of all abilities while integrating individual goals. Our programs include:
- Active Kids intensive: a combination of gross motor skills built into Sports Day-style games—such as ball games, hurdles, relays, throwing, and jumping. Within these activities, children practice standing balance, stepping over obstacles, squatting, running, and catching. This group is inclusive for all abilities -for example, we have children running independently, running with a frame runner or driving their power wheelchair
- Power Wheelchair driving skills intensive: where we practice building independence with safely driving power mobility devices in community settings. Learning to move or drive for a purpose. This group is for both early power users / skills to more experienced community navigation
- Surf Skills Intensive: children work on skills such as balance in sitting, on our hands and knees, kneeling and in standing, all while having fun on a surfboard. We also practice transitioning between positions on the floor and standing, both on sand and in the water. All kids love learning to paddle and catch a wave, either independently or with support as well as beach games incorporating gross motor skills.
- Bike Riding Intensive: children work on developing skills from learning to ride to navigating slopes and building their endurance + strength on their bike. We use of a mix of regular bikes, scooters, balance bikes and disability specific trikes to get kids rolling.
- Swim Intensive: children work on skills from learning to move their body independently in water to progressing towards swim strokes. Regular swim lessons are not easy for all children + our groups help to bridge the gap or to support children with higher level physical disability to have the opportunity to ‘learn to move’ in water.
Dose, Practice, and Assistive Technology
In these intensives, children attend each day for a week, with the repetition of activities building the dosage. We wholeheartedly support the use of equipment or Assistive Technology (AT) in our group intensives.
Research indicates that if your child participates more independently with the support of equipment through practice of a participation-based, functional skill, there will be progression in their outcomes. This allows children to practice in real-life settings with structured support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the difference between Group and 1:1 intensives?
A: Group intensives offer the motivation from peers and focus on age-appropriate skills in real life settings, while 1:1 intensives allow for intense focus on specific, targeted gross motor abilities, often in the clinic.
Q: What is the same about Group and 1:1 Intensives?
A: Both should focus on goals or skills set by your child and family + involve the delivery of evidence based therapy models to achieve these. Both should involve your child leading the movement – rather than having therapy delivered to them – their brain will learn and use many more pathways if they are planning movement and making movement happen themselves! Both should be teaching you as parents how to continue practice of the therapy skills taught, at home, following the intensive.
Q: Is Assistive Technology used?
A: Yes, using equipment or AT is highly encouraged as it increases independence, fun, and the opportunity for practice with purpose, leading to higher outcomes.
Evidence tells us that using AT to ‘learn to move’ not only contributes to motor outcomes but also promotes earlier engagement in play and cognition – all children learn by moving in their environment – so it doesn’t really matter how we move, but the earlier and more often the better! AT helps achieve this.
There is no evidence to suggest that using AT makes our children reliant or not develop other motor skills – so practice with and without AT is the key!
Q: How are the groups matched?
A: Groups are designed around the activity, and we tailor sessions to the child’s individual goals irrespective of age and ability.
How to make an appointment
- Call us on 0422 229 971 or fill in the enquiry form below.
- Our team will arrange an initial clinic meeting to ensure the program is right for your child.
- We’ll book your first session and welcome your child to the group
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Our Location
Suite 1/66 Jessica Boulevard
MINYAMA QLD 4575
(In shared rooms with Orthotic Solutions)
Open Hours
Monday 9am – 5pm
Tuesday 9am – 5pm
Wednesday 8am – 5pm
Thursday 8am – 5pm
Friday 8am – 12noon