Case studies
Case study: significant motor progress after two DMI intensives
Two six-day intensive blocks, four hours a day — and a GMFM-66 score that climbed 15.2 points, roughly ten times the expected progress. The story behind the numbers, and what made them possible.
Some progress you can feel. Some you can prove. This little boy's family got both: after two intensive six-day therapy blocks of four hours per day, his GMFM-66 score rose from 42.6 to 57.8 — a gain of 15.2 points, roughly ten times the progress that would normally be expected over that period.
The numbers behind the progress
The GMFM-66 measures gross motor function in children with cerebral palsy and other motor impairments on a 0–100 scale, and it's one of the core instruments in our assessment process. His scores tell the story plainly: 42.6 in October 2024, 56.6 in January 2025, and 57.8 in February 2025 — a statistically significant improvement, far above the expected average.
To put that in perspective: on the GMFM-66, children typically gain a point or two over a few months of standard weekly therapy. A 15.2-point climb in four months is the kind of change you'd normally expect to take years — which is why we measure before, between and after every block, so that progress like this is documented rather than remembered.
What changed in daily life
Before the first block, at 28 months, he couldn't yet prop himself on his hands, cruise along furniture, or pull himself up to standing. At 32 months, the picture looks very different:
New skills at 32 months
- Stands independently for up to 90 seconds.
- Walks 10 steps without help.
- Pulls up to standing by himself — and lowers back down with control.
- Squats from standing to pick something up.
- Starts to run when held by both hands, and jumps — including on the trampoline — with hand support.
- Climbs stairs up and down holding one hand.
The tools behind the block
The intensives combined DMI (Dynamic Movement Intervention) at Level C — demanding movement sequences that build motor control, balance and core strength — with the Spider Cage for weight-bearing work, Galileo whole-body vibration therapy for muscle and nerve stimulation, NISE-Stim neuromuscular stimulation, TheraTogs for postural stability, and TheraSuit therapy for muscle tone, posture and motor control. Every element was dosed and sequenced within ORCA — Objective Reasoning & Clinical Architecture, our clinical framework.
The family's part
A decisive factor was the family's active involvement. They went home with an individual program of functional exercises, everyday tips for weaving movement and interaction into normal routines, and playful strategies to encourage his own initiative — so the gains kept compounding between blocks.
This is the part of every case study that doesn't show up in the therapy-room photos: the ten minutes of practice before breakfast, the games chosen because they happen to demand a squat or a reach, the patience to let him try first. An intensive opens the door; the family walks through it every day after.
"Targeted therapy, an intensive block, and a family that carries it home — that combination is what moves the curve."
— The Apexa teamWhat this could mean for your child
Every child is different, and no case study is a promise. But the ingredients here — a measured baseline, a focused intensive block, and structured family carry-over — are repeatable. If you'd like to talk through whether an intensive could restart your child's progress, we're happy to talk it through with you — starting, as always, with an honest look at where your child stands today.
