DYNAMIC MOVEMENT INTERVENTION (DMI) AT LEAPS AND BOUNDS

A New Approach to Pediatric Rehabilitation

At Leaps and Bounds PT and OT, PLLC (Leaps and Bounds), we believe every child deserves the chance to move, grow, and thrive. That’s why we offer Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI) — an evidence-based therapeutic approach designed to help children with motor delays improve mobility, reach developmental milestones, and enhance overall function.

Unlike traditional therapies, DMI uses guided, dynamic exercises that challenge the child’s neurological system and encourage the brain to build new connections through neuroplasticity. The result? Stronger motor skills, improved independence, and a foundation for lifelong movement.

What Is DMI?

DMI is a specialized therapy technique created to help children with gross motor delays and neurological challenges. During sessions, therapists guide children through specific exercises that:

• Encourage postural control and strength
• Promote balance and coordination
• Expose the child to movements against gravity
• Stimulate the brain to form new, efficient motor pathways

Over time, these exercises help children achieve automatic, more efficient movements in daily life.

How Is DMI Different From Traditional Therapy?

While traditional therapies often focus on building skills step by step, DMI is designed to:

• Work at the child’s highest level of ability rather than only on basic building blocks
• Use varied levels of support to challenge each child appropriately
• Emphasize active responses from the child instead of passive handling
• Allow children to practice complex skills earlier, encouraging carry-over into simpler movements

For example, a child learning to sit may be guided through standing exercises — strengthening trunk muscles that will also improve sitting.

Benefits of DMI for Your Child

DMI offers a wide range of benefits that can positively impact your child’s development:

• Enhanced Gross Motor Skills – Encourages stronger, more efficient movement patterns
• Improved Balance – Strengthens muscles and uses gravity-based positions to develop postural control
• Increased Range of Motion – Promotes flexibility and long-lasting mobility through active stretching
• Greater Independence – Helps children reach milestones like rolling, sitting, crawling, standing, and walking
• Individualized Treatment – Tailored sessions that meet your child’s unique strengths and challenges
• Better Postural Alignment – Encourages upright posture and vertical control against gravity
• Correction of Atypical Patterns – Reduces inefficient or “stuck” movement patterns and integrates primitive reflexes
• Global Development Gains – Improvements extend beyond motor skills to areas such as speech, cognition, feeding, and social interaction
  

Who Can Benefit From DMI?

DMI is effective for children with a wide range of developmental and neurological conditions, including but not limited to:

• Cerebral palsy
• Down syndrome
• Global developmental delay
• Hypotonia (low muscle tone)
• Chromosomal abnormalities/genetic disorders
• Spinal cord lesions
• Acquired brain injury
• Prematurity/at-risk infants

Even children who are simply clumsy or delayed in reaching milestones (such as sitting, crawling, walking, or standing) can benefit from DMI therapy.

What to Expect During a Session

• Sessions begin with an assessment to identify your child’s needs
• Therapists guide children through dynamic exercises, often repeated several times to reinforce learning
• Movements are done on a table or floor, depending on ability
• Challenges are gradually increased as your child gains strength and independence
• DMI is often combined with other therapies for the best results

At Leaps and Bounds PT and OT, PLLC, our DMI program is designed to help children unlock their full potential. By combining innovation with compassionate care, we help every child take meaningful steps toward independence and confidence.