Elevate Neuro Rehab Sunshine Coast

Cerebral Palsy Clinic

Occupational Therapy for kids with Cerebral Palsy

Welcome to Elevate Neuro Rehab, where we have a special interest on helping children with hemiplegia who may have experienced a stroke or other brain injury. Our goal is to provide evidence-based therapy programs that help unlock their true potential and foster their development. 

Hemiplegia is when one side of the body is weak or paralysed due to a stroke or brain injury. The affected arm and hand can be weak and and difficult to use. The child may then learn to neglect using the affected hand and try and do everything one handed. Learning to use the affected arm and hand as an effective helper during play and every day tasks can be very tricky. However there is alot that can be done to support children learn strategies to use their affected hand as an effective “helper hand” in two handed tasks. For example learning to use it as a stabiliser to hold a drink bottle while opening the lid, or placing a marker in their affected hand to hold whilst they pull the cap off ready for drawing. Whether it’s learning to get dressed independently, opening a pencil case, or learning to tie up their own hair, we develop programs tailored to each child and familie’s individual goals.

Our clinic in Nambour serves as the perfect setting for engaging children in these transformative programs. We believe that offering a supportive environment is essential for their progress. For families within the Sunshine Coast region, we also provide the option of home visiting services, and our therapy team can discuss this further with you.

At Elevate Neuro Rehab, we are dedicated to empowering your child on their journey to success. Our programs are designed to nurture their unique abilities and help them thrive.

Our team of experienced occupational therapists offer:

Modified Constraint Induced Movement Therapy (mCIMT)

Bimanual therapy

Certified in using the Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA)

Goal directed training to improve function and motor skills for everyday tasks

Support with therapy programs alongside botulinum-toxin treatments

intensive therapy PROGRAMS

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. We take a modified approach to CIMT when working with children as young as 6months old! Children go through many phases of development and CIMT programs and their intensity are modified to match the child’s current stage of development, presenting condition, and goals. For example, baby CIMT consists of 30mins face to face therapy a day, whereas a child aged 2-3years old may participate in 1.5 hours a day or more of face to face therapy.
No. We construct a mitt or removable splint. Wearing guidelines will be discussed and prescribed following assessment when discussing therapy plan for the program. Research shows that the restraint used is the least important component of CIMT. Massed practice including home practice, behaviour change and shaping tasks are shown to be far more important in the effectiveness of this intervention.

Our therapy focuses on the effective use of both hands, promoting essential skills for daily life participation.

Our Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) program is intensive and tailored to children who have little initiation of their affected arm and hand or specific one-handed goals. The program usually involves five days of face-to-face therapy per week for two to three weeks, along with home practice. CIMT has proven to be effective in improving motor skills and enhancing the use of the affected limb.

To ensure comprehensive progress, we often combine CIMT with bimanual therapy sessions. Bimanual therapy teaches children how to effectively use both hands together and encourages hand role differentiation. This means learning to utilize the dominant hand efficiently while developing strategies for the assisting hand. Our focus is on equipping children with hemiplegia to become adept at using both hands collaboratively, just like all humans naturally do.

The bimanual therapy programs span six to eight weeks, with weekly face-to-face sessions at our clinic and a daily home program. We emphasize the importance of home-based practice to ensure the skills learned in the clinic are applied in everyday situations.

There is high level of evidence supporting the use of constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT) and bimanual therapy for children with hemiplegia (one side of the body affected). Each therapy intervention has its place and one is not considered superior to the other. Through careful assessment and goal setting, our therapists will create a therapy plan and discuss with you what our recommendations are.