What Is Pediatric DMI Therapy and How Does It Support Motor Development?

As April and Autism Awareness Month have come to a close, we’re highlighting the incredible work of MetroEHS Pediatric Therapy in Metro Detroit. With multiple locations and more on the way, MetroEHS is dedicated to helping families with children on the autism spectrum and those needing specialized therapy. Today, we’re focusing on a universal challenge for parents: potty training.

Joining us are Deanna Coker, a board-certified behavioral therapist analyst, and Kelly Johns, the director of physical therapy at MetroEHS. They share valuable insights on potty training, addressing common issues and providing practical solutions.

Recognizing Readiness for Potty Training

Kelly Johns emphasizes that recognizing when your child is ready for potty training is crucial. Key signs include:

- Extended Bladder Control: Holding their bladder overnight or for several consecutive hours.

- Interest in the Potty: Playing with their diaper, showing curiosity about the toilet, or performing a "potty dance."

- Communication: Telling you they need to go or showing signs they’re aware of their bodily functions.

Addressing Potty Training Challenges

Sometimes, despite a parent’s best efforts, potty training can hit a snag. Deanna Coker points out that issues such as regression, frequent nighttime accidents, or persistent constipation might indicate underlying problems like pelvic floor complications.

Assisting with Physiological Challenges

To support children struggling with potty training, Kelly recommends several strategies:

- Blowing Bubbles: This helps relax the pelvic floor. Encourage your child to blow bubbles while sitting on the toilet or during playtime.

- Using a Squatty Potty: This stool ensures a proper 90-degree angle, aiding in effective bowel movements.

- Belly Breathing: Teach your child to focus on their belly rising and falling, which can help with relaxation and control.

Effective Potty Training Methods

Deanna shares essential potty training tips:

1. Ditch the Diapers: Transition your child to underwear to help them feel the wetness of accidents.
2. Stay Hydrated: Encourage your child to drink plenty of fluids to ensure they need to use the bathroom regularly.
3. Set a Schedule: Take your child to the potty every 20 minutes initially, allowing them to sit for a few minutes each time.
4. Positive Reinforcement: Use rewards like a sticker chart to celebrate successes. This visual progress tracker can be highly motivating for children.

Deanna shares a personal anecdote about using a princess-themed sticker chart for her daughter, highlighting how such simple tools can make the process enjoyable and rewarding for children.

MetroEHS Pediatric Therapy provides comprehensive support for various therapy needs, including ABA, speech, occupational, feeding, and physical therapies. With their expanding network of locations, they are readily accessible to families across Metro Detroit.

For more information or to find the nearest MetroEHS location, visit http://metroehs.com

**Thank you, Deanna and Kelly, for sharing your expertise and practical advice.** Potty training can be a daunting task, but with these tips, parents can navigate this essential milestone more effectively.

In a recent airing of Live in the D, sponsored by MetroEHS Pediatric Therapy, the spotlight was on Autism Awareness Month, shedding light on how children on the autism spectrum can benefit from life-changing therapy. MetroEHS, a pediatric neighborhood therapy company with multiple locations across Metro Detroit, including expanding services, is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for children with various therapy needs, including autism.

Deanna Coker, a board-certified behavioral analyst, and Kris Krajewski, a speech therapist with MetroEHS, joined the show to discuss how therapy can significantly impact children’s communication skills.

Understanding Communication Challenges in Autism

Deanna explained that autism, as a developmental disability, often presents challenges in social interaction and communication. Unlike typically developing children who learn language by observing and imitating, children with autism struggle to find meaningful ways to communicate, despite their desire to do so.

The Role of Speech Therapy

Kris emphasized that speech therapy is essential for children with autism, given that communication difficulties are a hallmark characteristic of the condition. Speech therapists, like those at MetroEHS, work to identify barriers to communication and introduce alternative methods for expressing thoughts and needs.

Speech Therapy Interventions

Kris introduced an innovative tool called the AAC device (Alternative and Augmentative Communication), essentially an iPad loaded with specialized software designed exclusively for communication purposes. This device enables children to select words and icons to express themselves, giving them a voice and autonomy in their interactions.

Empowering Communication Through Tools

Deanna highlighted another communication aid, the PECS book (Picture Exchange Communication System), a low-tech solution that uses pictures to help children convey wants, needs, and preferences. By selecting and exchanging pictures, children can effectively communicate with caregivers, enhancing their independence and self-expression.

The conversation between Deanna, Kris, and the show’s host highlighted the importance of therapy in empowering children with autism to communicate effectively. Through innovative interventions and specialized tools, such as AAC devices and PECS books, children can overcome communication barriers and actively engage with the world around them.

For families seeking therapy services for their children, MetroEHS offers comprehensive support, including ABA, speech, occupational, feeding, and physical therapies. With multiple locations across Metro Detroit and additional centers on the way, MetroEHS aims to make therapy accessible and impactful for families in need.

What is the Intensive Feeding Therapy Program Like at MetroEHS?

As we dive into the details of the Intensive Feeding Therapy Program at MetroEHS, hear from the experts at MetroEHS and how they collaborate on the most wholistic approach to Intensive Feeding Therapy.

Jessica Hunt (Occupational Therapist/Feeding Specialist):
When it comes to treating children who have complex feeding difficulties and pediatric feeding issues, there's a multitude of things that are typically at the root of the problem. So what's very unique about the program that we have here is that we have involvement from both occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, physical therapy, a dietician, as well as psychology.

Rose Britt (Registered Dietitian):
So it's all five disciplines. Spending time together with the family, with the patient, with each other, all talking at one cohesive time, making a plan instead of grabbing pieces from all over the place and putting them together. I think it makes it a lot smoother for us and the families as well.

Kris Krajewski (Director PT, OT, and Speech Services/SLP):
Each of our disciplines really does have something to offer to this process, but when we work all together, we have the ability to help our kiddos make more progress more quickly.

Kayla Daniels (Physical Therapist):
At Metro, we really take a whole body approach. We don't just look at one aspect of the child. And a lot of people don't think of physical therapy as part of the feeding team, but in order to eat, you have to use all of these posture and muscles, you have to hold yourself up. You have to hold your head up to be able to swallow. So really focusing on all of those aspects of your body is really important to be able to make the progress.

Azari Haygood (Psychologist):
As a psychologist on staff for the Intensive Feeding Program, I offer mental health services to the families and to some of the clients. It's very stressful for a lot of these families. It's stressful for the clients that we see. And so, I offer just another support for them, where I'm helping them kind of overcome some of the stressors that they're experiencing around feeding.

Rose Britt (Registered Dietitian):
It's not just me telling you what to do. There's so much more going into that, and you get to really listen to the families and hear why it's not working and problem solve together.

Kayla Daniels (Physical Therapist):
The impact you can make, not only on the child's life, but on the family's life as a whole is huge.

Azari Haygood (Psychologist):
Seeing that improvement in their family's lives feels really great all around.

Jessica Hunt (Occupational Therapist/Feeding Specialist):
One in 23 children have a pediatric feeding issue. And so, to truly be able to address all of the aspects of that in one place, that's where we get to make a difference every single day.

Kris Krajewski (Director PT, OT, and Speech Services/SLP):
It's like when you have a jigsaw puzzle and you're missing one piece, you can still tell what the picture of the jigsaw puzzle is going to be, but when you have all of the pieces together, integrated into this treatment, the result is just something so much more beautiful.