Nearly 1 in 5 Americans will be diagnosed with a mental health condition at some point during their life. A large majority by the young age of 14.

As Licensed Mental Health professionals, we are seeing the numbers of those diagnosed with a mental health condition or even seeing signs rise in our children, youth, adolescents, and teenagers, especially following the unprecedented events of Covid. The reality is: life is hard, it is challenging, and we are not meant to do it alone. We all need a support system. We need access to helpful resources and reliable professionals to navigate our mental health journeys.

There are numerous resources out there that can help to minimize the severity of a mental health condition(s), including that of individual and family/group counseling sessions. We must work hard to ensure that these resources are easily found, known and that we are supporting one another.

, we can help to break the stigma that follows Mental Health. Mental Health is just as important as our Physical Health. Just like experiencing a physical illness that might be more apparent or obvious, being able to identify and treat mental health conditions earlier on can prevent something more serious from developing.

Some of the more or less “common” mental health conditions or experiences warranting professional support:

Knowing the “warning signs” to watch for:

Mental Health Therapy visits focus on providing encouragement and support in order to create a more balanced, loving, and overall successful home life. By working with both the child and the family using proven psychological methods, Mental Health Therapy can help manage and even eliminate a variety of mental illnesses and emotional difficulties.

Our goal is to provide parents with the confidence and best possible resources available to understand, manage, and prioritize their family's mental health.

 through both individual and family counseling sessions. A referral is not required for this discipline, and we work with many 

insurance providers, including Kentucky Medicaid

. Our clinicians are knowledgeable about clinical excellence in all disciplines.

Mental Health Matters! 

As clinical experts and many of us parents ourselves,

we resonate with the fast-paced life you live and the immediate concerns that come with experiencing the uncertainty of receiving an unexpected diagnosis. Not knowing what direction to turn, oftentimes blaming yourself, wondering who will be the most reliable (and immediate) source of help, and ultimately, what is going to make things "normal" the fastest way possible. 

If you're reading this, there's a pretty high chance that you know exactly what we are describing to be similar to your personal testimony. We hope that you have found the most reliable therapy team to care for your child and equip you with all of the things that you not only need but that you deserve. 

If you have not yet established that foundation, the Marshall team wants to encourage and remind you that through our multidisciplinary approach to treatment, we are able to really cover all of the bases. We fight behind the scenes every single day to ensure you are cared for in the most comprehensive manner. From an initial evaluation, through the insurance/payment parameters, to community partners to advocate on your behalf, we want you to feel empowered on your therapy journey. 

The overall effectiveness of therapy goes far beyond what goes on solely in the clinical setting. By actively using the 

, techniques, and tools provided by one’s therapist and through credible Autism materials, you are helping one achieve milestones faster.

 might look differently for an autism diagnosis. Through therapy and time spent in multiple learning environments, the child is becoming more proactive, self-aware, and stronger both mentally and physically. The caretaker is also able to learn more tips and tricks to handle particular situations with confidence. This education then becomes a helpful asset to share with other families. Suddenly, a bonding community is formed and is more impactful than it has ever been before. 

Therapy, most of the time, can be hard work and challenging to overcome specific obstacles, but it certainly does not have to be super expensive or time-consuming! There ARE definitely ways that you can implement FUN activities into the mix of play at home or even on the go for your child regardless of their condition. Most of the time, these are even fun for the entire family!

Our Marshall Pediatric Therapy Clinical Experts want to introduce you to three affordable "do it yourself" activities inclusive of some shoppable links that are also educational and therapeutic.

Sensory boxes help children with autism relax and be able to concentrate. Sensory boxes are also great for learning new vocabulary words and exploring different textures. Sensory boxes are often times more manageable when it comes to sensory processing.

2. Playdough stamping with Legos or household items like a kitchen whisk or pasta

https://thecraftathomefamily.com/2-ingredient-cloud-dough/

We hope you enjoyed reading this post and are inspired to make some unique activities at home! If you're looking for a consistent therapy basis or need help in any way, we want to be an extension of your team! Make sure to visit our 

Three Simple DIY Activities for a Child Diagnosed with Autism 

Cerebral Palsy: the most common motor disability. A group of disorders that affect a person's ability to move, maintain posture, and balance themselves.

Cerebral Palsy is often caused by damage that has occurred in the brain that affects its overall development. This disruption of development affects the ability to:

Nearly 70% of Cerebral Palsy cases are the result of an injury at birth?

Over 1 million people in the U.S. are living with CP?

Approximately 10,000 babies are diagnosed with CP each year?

When Cerebral Palsy might appear noticeable: 

CP might be recognizable as early as infancy or during the years of preschool and is categorized as a “non-progressive” disorder. Non-progressive essentially means that it will not continue to develop or get worse.

*CP increases the likelihood of seizure activity or one becoming blind or deaf

 stiffness and difficulty moving (most common type)

causes problems with balance and depth perception

How do we treat CP at Marshall Pediatric Therapy?

Marshall's multidisciplinary approach to treatment ensures that there's a comprehensive level of commitment to care. Marshall Pediatric Therapy offers Pediatric Occupational Therapy, Speech-Language Therapy, Physical Therapy, Mental Health Therapy, and a behavior program (Building Blocks Program), for children diagnosed with autism. Together, these disciplines can work together to address all possible concerns. Below you can see how Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Speech-Language therapy services contribute to what is being addressed. Marshall Pediatric Therapy has successfully treated a wide array of Cerebral Palsy diagnoses, ranging from milder to much more complex conditions. Marshall works with each individual patient and their family to instill confidence along the way.

*Note that some symptoms are more obvious than others

Cerebral palsy in relation to incontinence

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital CP Clinic:

https://www.childneurologyfoundation.org/disorder/cerebral-palsy/

A Cerebral Palsy Diagnosis 

“Every child’s behavior is telling us something. Our job is to see the behavior as information, not aggravation.”

There are so many reasons why children behave the way that they do. Why does an autistic child flap their hands? One reason is that it’s in response to a stressful situation. Why does another child bang their head against something repeatedly? One reason is that they do not know how to interpret pain. There are many types of behaviors that help to categorize our kids as having or suspected of having 

Understanding your child’s behavior as a communication.

All communication is considered to be behavior and when you can understand what your child is trying to communicate, you can effectively teach a much more appropriate replacement behavior and see a reduction of challenging behaviors. This is where Applied Behavior Analysis comes into hand.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), is referred to an application of the science of behavior that systematically works to increase skills that aid in the reduction of challenging behaviors and improves the lives of children and families. This is done through reinforcement and teaching strategies based on functional analysis and data collection.

If your child does not have a reliable means of communication or does not understand how to effectively communicate their wants and needs, they may resort to challenging behavior that has had proven results for them in the past. A great place to start is by looking at the functions of behavior to begin to understand them. We use an acronym for these known as: 

 Your child may engage in this behavior because it gives them satisfaction on a sensory level. These types of behaviors can be observed both when the child is in the presence of others as well as when they are alone. If the behavior is not harmful to them or others or causes a barrier to learning we should not worry about reducing these behaviors.

 Your child may engage in this behavior to get out of or avoid an activity that is non-preferred or aversive.

If your child is engaged with their iPad, you remove their iPad and tell them it is time to brush their teeth. Your child immediately throws themselves to the floor and begins screaming. You then remove the task of brushing your teeth and your child stops screaming.

Your child may engage in this behavior because it reliably allows them to gain attention from others.

 You are on the phone talking with a friend and your child wants to engage with you,

your child walks up and slaps you in the face, and you get off the phone and engage with your child.

Your child may engage in this behavior to gain access to things they want/enjoy.

 Your child is in the kitchen jumping up and down and screaming at you. You begin pulling items from the cabinet and offering them to your child, they stop screaming when you pull out the goldfish crackers, you then give them the crackers and they sit and happily eat them.

When we are looking at these challenging behaviors as communication, we want to actively be working to teach more appropriate means of communication. Once more appropriate communication is established you should see a reduction in these behaviors as you see an increase in functional communication. You should work closely with your child’s speech therapist and ABA staff to establish and increase the use of functional communication while actively working to reduce challenging behaviors.

booking an appointment or an initial evaluation

Understanding the Functions of Behavior + Introducing S.E.A.T

Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI) - SO, what is it? 

First and foremost, we would like to congratulate our very own Physical Therapist, Chloe Isaacs, PT, DPT, CIMI-2 on the recent completion of her certification in 

 and for being the FIRST in the state of Kentucky to become certified and bringing this method of treatment to Marshall Pediatric Therapy. Chloe is a graduate of the

In this post, we will not only introduce you to all things associated with DMI, but we will show you a few examples of DMI techniques first-hand from one of Marshall’s current patients, our sweet friend, Lillie. We are confident that the discovery and implementation of this technique have been a “missing link” for the overall effectiveness of some therapeutic treatments. We are excited to see how this form of intervention will help shape the world of pediatric therapy and future patients.

DMI Therapy. What is it and how exactly could it help benefit MY child?

is defined as “a therapeutic technique that is used in both

to help treat children with motor delays by improving automatic postural responses and promoting progress towards developmental milestones." The goal of DMI is to provoke a specified active motor response from the child in response to defined dynamic exercises prescribed by the therapist. This comprehensive intervention incorporates current research on neurorehabilitation, technologies, and methodologies. DMI stimulates neuroplasticity to facilitate new neuronal connections and the development of motor milestones. 

Regardless of the level of cognition and extent of neurological deficit or damage, affected children benefit from DMI motor intervention as it pertains to stimulating 

 Children diagnosed with any type of motor delay including conditions such as:

Children at risk, such as those who are born prematurely can also benefit from this therapy due to the strong neuroplastic changes that this treatment stimulates within the developing brain.

After a brief assessment, the therapist will identify areas of deficit, which will guide the treatment. The therapist chooses exercises that will challenge the child’s neurological system to the highest level of skill as well as exercises that develop the core and foundational milestones. Exercises involve movement against gravity, progressively more challenging support, provocation of desired movements, as well as postural and strength challenges. 

During a treatment session the child will complete many different exercises which provide novel and varied sensory and motor challenges and each exercise is repeated around 5 times. Exercises may be repeated from session to session until the movements become automatic, which results in improved balance and function. Exercises are conducted on a tabletop or the floor based on the child’s abilities.

DMI Therapy works well in conjunction with other therapeutic techniques and therapy equipment. These are often combined in a treatment session to provide better alignment and enhance optimal outcomes.

1. Gross Motor Skills – Improving the gross motor skills of children from birth by developing automatic motor movement. (Promotes Neurological Maturity)

 – Continuously increasing the challenge to encourage the child to respond with greater independence.

- All exercises focus on optimal anatomical alignment and stimulate postural control and verticality.

 - Muscle and joint range of motion is achieved by movement (Dynamical and functional stretching).  

 – Improved balance is a common thread through most DMI exercises.

 – Improving actions and skills that lead to attaining milestones such as rolling, sitting, standing, and walking.

 The strong sensory information provided by the exercises sends afferent messages to the brain to create specialized synapses that fine-tune balance, muscle control, and movement.

8. Modifying Tone, Primitive Reflexes, and Abnormal Patterns of Movement

 - DMI strives to provide normalized movement patterns to children with neurological dysfunction to assist with the integration of disruptive primitive reflexes.

 DMI focuses on gross motor skills, however, many other skills develop as a byproduct of this intensive intervention

One really great component of DMI is the encouragement of the parent’s involvement and participation in order for the treatment to be the most successful. At Marshall, we are advocates for this approach as well. The success of one’s individual therapy journey far surpasses what is introduced and accomplished in the clinic setting itself. When a parent is willing to learn and takes therapy techniques home that are assigned by our professional clinicians, they are continuing to challenge the child to reach milestones at a much quicker pace. 

"You always want to help challenge the child at their highest cognitive level. If you aren’t challenging the brain enough, especially during its prime developmental years, the brain is not able to successfully create neuro-pathways. It’s always important to remember that If you aren’t going out of your comfort zone, you aren’t going to see the change.” - 

Neuro pathways help to send signals from one side of the brain to the other. There are three types of neurons. 

= stimulated by our senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing), and

 = help connect the neurons together. When there’s a disruption in the connection, this is when the child might experience difficulty with certain skills that require the intervention of therapy. 

We want to introduce you to one of our current patients and friends, Lillie, and her awesome mother, Brittany, who have opened up to share their pediatric journey and testimony so far. To advocate for Marshall, and for DMI. Brittany shares that traveling the distance from Mt. Sterling to receive services at Marshall Pediatric Therapy is "

Lillie is a little over two years old and has been coming to Marshall since November 2022. A brief glimpse at her diagnosis: Lillie was born 35 weeks premature and has the genetic disorders of both 

. Due to these conditions, Lillie has some onset setbacks developmentally that we are working through.

, in which instead of two chromosomes, they are born with three. Though this condition is identified as genetic, it’s usually not something that is inherited, it is rather due to genetic error at random

, also a chromosomal condition that is associated with many abnormalities in multiple parts of the body including:

An alarming statistic is that children with 

often times present so many life-threatening medical complications, that they oftentimes die before birth, or within one month after birth. 5-10% of children diagnosed with Trisomy 18 live past their one year and those that do, experience a high level of severe intellectual disabilities.

We are so grateful to be part of sweet Lillie's journey as a culmination of innovation and reliable resources that provide hope and peace of mind. When you are a patient at Marshall, you are treated like FAMILY!

Interested in booking an initial evaluation with one of our clinical experts!? We've got you covered 

Are you a clinician and Interested in becoming certified in DMI Therapy? Learn more 

From Our Experts

Mental Health Matters!

Three Simple DIY Activities for a Child Diagnosed with Autism

A Cerebral Palsy Diagnosis

Understanding the Functions of Behavior + Introducing S.E.A.T

An Introduction to Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI)