Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI)

Dynamic Movement Intervention

Are you looking for a new method of treatment for your child?

Dynamic Movement Intervention is an intervention commonly used in physical and occupational therapy. This therapeutic technique is used to treat children with motor delay(s) and/or impairment(s) by focusing on alignment, sensory integration, and function.

Our physical therapists are trained in this speciality therapeutic technique. Their main goal is to promote progress towards developmental milestones.

DMI’s Areas of Focus

Dynamic Movement Intervention has a variety of benefits that can improve your child’s motor development.

Our trained therapists focus on these nine focus areas when assessing and treating your child.

  • Gross motor skills involve the large muscles in the arms, legs and torso. Your child’s gross motor milestones include the ability to hold his/her head up, roll, sit, crawl, walk, run, transition between positions, etc. DMI works on improving gross motor skills of your child from birth by developing automatic motor movement. Once the movement becomes automatic, their brain has completely grasped how to repeat the skill smoothly and utilize it in various scenarios.
  • Gradual progression means lessening the support your child requires to do an exercise or activity. For example, standing while supporting your child’s ankles is less support than at their hips. The less support they are given, the more their brain understands that they can do this skill independently. DMI continuously increases the challenge to encourage your child to respond with greater independence.
  • Postural control is the ability to control movement and maintain posture following a movement. All DMI exercises focus on optimal anatomical alignment and stimulate postural control and verticality. For example: sitting up with a straight back vs. sitting with a curved back.
  • DMI provides active stretching in order for your child to maintain or gain better range of motion in areas like ankles, calves, hamstrings, etc. DMI uses dynamic and functional stretching of the muscles and the joint range of motion to obtain movement. These are incorporated in treatment sessions and your child’s at home exercise program.
  • Balance is the distribution of weight while remaining upright and steady. DMI works to improve balance focusing on distribution of your child’s weight during exercises.
  • Functional movement focuses on allowing muscles to work together to complete a large and/or more complex movement. These functional movements are typically things done every day. DMI works to improve actions and skills that lead to attaining milestones such as rolling, sitting, standing, and walking.
  • Somatosensory system is the body’s perception of touch, temperature, body position, and pain. The strong sensory information provided by the DMI exercises sends messages to the brain to create specialized synapses that fine tune balance, muscle control, and movement.
  • Primitive reflexes are involuntary motor responses to stimuli, starting at birth and into early child development. 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.
Dynamic Movement Intervention

Is DMI therapy appropriate for my child?

This program promotes progress towards developmental milestones and will benefit most children with motor developmental delays. The below list are some, but not all, of the diagnoses that DMI can benefit: 

  1. Down Syndrome
  2. Cerebral Palsy
  3. Global Developmental Delay
  4. Hypotonia
  5. Chromosomal Abnormalities/Genetic Disorders
  6. Spinal Cord Lesions
  7. Brain Injury
  8. Other Motor Delays
Introducing Our

DMI Therapists

Laura T., PT, DPT, CEIM

DMI Trained

Laura is originally from Buffalo, NY. She earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy and Bachelors of Natural Science at Daemen College.

Laura has experience treating children of all ages, in a variety of settings: home, clinic, parks/community, pools, telehealth.

Parent coaching and routine based models are especially important to Laura’s practice. These involve coordination with all caregivers and the patient on goal setting and carrying over interventions throughout daily routines.

During her free time, Laura enjoys skateboarding, hiking, beaching, camping, playing guitar/piano/ukulele, singing and relaxing with her husband and 2 kitties.

 

TRAININGS + CERTIFICATIONS

  • Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI)
  • Kinesiology Taping
  • Torticollis and Plagiocephaly Management
  • Pediatric Yoga
  • Orthotic and Equipment Indication and Implementation
  • Pediatric Neurological Development Treatment (NDT)
  • Pediatric Vision Techniques
  • Certified Infant Massage Instructor (CEIM)

Katy W., PT, DPT

DMI Trained

Katy is originally from Syracuse, NY. She earned her Bachelor of Science from Syracuse University with a major in Biology and minor in Education in 2006 and her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Upstate Medical University in 2009.

She has worked with both adult and pediatric patients in a variety of settings, but pediatrics has always been her passion. She has worked with children in a variety of environments including: outpatient facilities, pediatric extended care centers, preschool and school based settings.

Katy has worked with children with a wide variety of diagnoses and recognizes how important a family centered approach is while developing a treatment plan.

When she is not working, Katy enjoys exploring all that Southern California has to offer and spending time with her husband and two pups: Lincoln and Benji.

 

TRAININGS + CERTIFICATIONS

  • Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI)
  • Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT)
  • Kinesiotaping
  • Orthotic + Equipment Prescription
Learn More About Our Physical Therapy Services

How It Works…

A Dynamic Movement Intervention session at Milestone looks like:  

  • Brief assessment: identify areas of potential growth
  • Exercises are chosen based off your child’s need and what may challenge them 
  • Exercises can include: movement against gravity, provocation of desired movements, postural control, and strengthening activities  
  • Exercises will be repeated around 5 times and session to session. This allows for movements to become automatic. 
  • Exercises may be completed or performed on the floor or a table top surface  
  • DMI is sometimes combined with other treatment interventions
Ask Our Therapists If DMI Is Right For Your Child
Dynamic Movement Intervention

Let’s Connect

We would like to meet with you and your family to determine how we can help.

 

*Content contained on this DMI page has been adapted from the DMI website. To learn more about DMI please go to this link.

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