Local non-profit gets grant for equipment – New Jersey Hills

WEST CALDWELL TWP. Intensive Therapeutics, a local non-profit that helps children with special needs, has been awarded a $4,000 grant to help teach disabled kids how to walk on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016.

The grant was awarded by the Montclair Foundation, a nonprofit that awards grants to charitable organizations in the areas surrounding Montclair.

We are a small, grass-roots organization supporting children with special needs in New Jersey. It is amazing to me to see the support we are receiving from so many people to get this grant, said Intensive Therapeutics Executive Director Scott Matthews. This is such a wonderful opportunity for us to further the services we provide to children with special needs, so they can develop the skills necessary to walk, play and run in their own communities and neighborhoods.

Matthews said the grant will help pay for a LiteGait and GaitSense system, a suspension system that lifts children slightly as they walk on a treadmill to put less stress on their joints and make walking easier. He said the new equipment will primarily be used for children with cerebral palsy.

With cerebral palsy, those afflicted have paralysis on one side of their body. For the grant, kids with cerebral palsy can train with gait training to work on movement problems, said Matthew. They can get more steps in with that equipment, to help them learn how to better walk, and hopefully, run.

Matthews said the GaitSense system will have electronic sensors embedded into the treadmill belt and around the childs ankles, which will provide visual feedback on a tablet and will aid therapists in correcting childrens walking patterns.

Matthew said therapists at Intensive Therapeutics work with children that have a wide range of disabilities, but most commonly treat children with cerebral palsy or autism. He said they offer three different types of therapy; occupational therapy, speech therapy and physical therapy.

He said for occupational therapy, children practice movements associated with daily living like putting on clothes and eating. He said speech therapy and physical therapy focus on helping children with motor skills and speaking, respectively.

It depends on the disability, but we are working on skills kids need to be more independent in life. We focus on movement and behavior, or whatever is necessary based on their needs, said Matthew.

Matthew said the therapy is intensive because they try to do a lot of therapy in a short amount of time.

Its a new kind of therapy thats immersive, nobody else does that. Repetition helps make serious changes, said Matthew. In a sense, were leading the way for this type of treatment.

He said Intensive Therapeutics has been in West Caldwell for 1 year, and is looking to expand its programs in the future to further help children with disabilities. He said the organization was established in 2005 to address the needs of families who wanted individualized services by licensed professionals in a non-medical environment.

Matthew said the West Caldwell facility has a small house on site that parents coming in from out of state can stay in while their child is being treated. He said the house was made available to make things easier for families who may be experiencing tough times.

Intensive Therapeutics is providing a valuable service to its clients, and were happy to be able to support them, said Montclair Foundation Grants Committee Chair Tina Jordan.

Matthew said it was fantastic to receive the grant from the foundation, and that the funds were extremely helpful.

We have a direct connection to Montclair since we are currently treating a boy from that area. The grant is directly benefiting him, and were thrilled we can benefit him and other kids, said Matthew.

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Local non-profit gets grant for equipment - New Jersey Hills