742 Sterbenz Dr., Hudson, WI 54016 T: 715-386-2128 Web: www.stcroixtherapy.org

Concussions

Physical therapists can be a good addition the team of medical

professionals involved in treating a patient for a concussion.

In 2012, 3.8 million concussions were reported. A concussion

is a serious brain injury that requires immediate medical attention; in

pediatric clients a concussion can take up to a month to heal. Below is

a list of immediate and short-term symptoms of a concussion:

A physical therapist can:

1. Prescribe a rest and recovery program that is appropriate.

2. Monitor your symptoms as you begin strength and endurance

exercises.

3. Perform treatments that will improve your vestibular system

which can reduce or stop your dizziness or balance problems.

4. Use specific treatments and suggest exercises to reduce or

eliminate your headaches. www.apta.org

Physical Cognitive Emotional

Headache

Dizziness

Impaired Balance

Nausea/Vomiting

Difficulty Sleeping Double Vision

Sensitivity to: Light or Sound Poor coordination

Memory

Confusion

Slowed Processing

Slow to Respond

Fogginess Concentration

Irritability

Restlessness

Anxiety

Depression

Mood Swings Aggression

Decreased Stress Tolerance

March 2016

St Croix Therapy

is a 501 (c) 3 charitable

organization.

Board of Directors

Executive Director: Dianne Joachim

Chair: Nick Vivian

Vice Chair: Dr. Jennifer Shupe

Treasurer: David Neale

Secretary: Linda Bainbridge

Members: Tom Bauer

Did you know that St Croix

Therapy has a

YouTube and a

Pinterest page? We

are building these social media sites so they will

be a resource for families.

Check us out and share your ideas

with us.

742 Sterbenz Dr., Hudson, WI 54016 T: 715-386-2128 Web: www.stcroixtherapy.org

In February, Kathy Johnson, COTA, attended two educational sessions at the Rair Symposium. The first session was enti-tled, “Enhancing Sensory Integration Perspective for Assessment and Treatment: The Art of Clinical Reasoning” pre-sented by Stacey Szklut, MS, OTR/L.

At the session, Stacey talked about how neurological research indicates the brain is an organ that adapts and allows for learning over the lifespan, giving support for the work that therapists do. Stacey stresses the importance of:

1. Setting up the environment 2. Planning activities based on the

progression of human develop-ment

3. Strategizing ways to break down an activity into achievable parts

4. Recognizing when to change an activity to best meet a client’s needs

Additionally, Stacey discussed how emotions influence outcomes so a positive therapy setting increases a child’s participa-tion.

Next, Kathy attended the session, “The Healing Power of Your Hands: Crani-osacral Applications for Pediatric Popula-tions”, by Nancy Lawton-Shirley, OTR/L. The class included background on history, anatomy , labs for craniosacral tech-niques. The hands-on experience gained during the labs was valuable.

Speech-Language Intensives Starting the summer of 2016, the speech therapy team at St Croix Therapy will be offering speech intensives to their clients. A speech in-tensive is a period of time where a client will be seen for speech therapy at increased frequency. The speech team will be offering this to clients whose main concerns are related to Childhood Apraxia of Speech and articulation skills, as re-search supports working on motor skills at in-creased intensity. The speech intensives will be based on the model of:

Frequency+ Duration+ Intensity = Maximum Results

1. Frequency— 4 to 5 appointments weekly (Monday-Friday) for three (3) weeks

2. Duration- Speech therapy sessions will be from 30-60 minutes long, depending on the child's attention span.

3. Intensity– articulation skills the will progress at increased intensity.

Speech intensives can be scheduled sim-ultaneously with OT/PT intensives if the child is able to sustain attention for that time period.

If your family is interested in learning more about speech intensives for this upcoming summer, please talk to your treating speech-language pathologist.

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