Individual TSMT therapy (TSMT I)

To whom do we recommend the method?

Individual Targeted Sensorimotor Therapy (TSMT I) is recommended for children from 3 months to 8 years of age who have one or several of the following symptoms:

• Delayed language and speech development
• Delayed gross motor development
• Childhood autism in a non-cooperating child
• Asperger's Syndrome in children who have trouble cooperating
• High levels of attention and concentration problems
• Central nervous system injury (CP) below 5 years of age
• Severe learning disabilities (Dyscalculia, dyslexia, dysgraphia)
• Self-regulation difficulties (Problems eating and sleeping)
• Behavioural problems, increased aggression
• Anxiety
• Lack of cooperation
• Weakness of control functions
• Sensory processing disorders (SPD)
• As a preventive measure, if the above symptoms have already occurred in the family with a parent or older sibling

If the child’s developmental delay is greater than 3-6 months, or its stagnation is significant, or if the child performs at a level bellow 50% in the handicapped area of ​​Maturity of the nervous system and motor skills, which has been confirmed by tests, it is recommended to start the individual TSMT therapeutic development of the child. It is also recommended to start the individual therapy if the child is unable to understand, imitate or perform the therapeutic tasks, or if the child manifests regressive or oppositional behaviour and cannot be involved in the tasks, or if he or she has short attention span, easily distracted and unable to work with other professionals.

How is TSMT I therapy performed?

In each case, individual TSMT therapy begins with the Longitudinal Complex Test (LongiKid), which provides feedback on the child's sensorimotor and cognitive development, identifies the possible delayed skills and determines the therapeutic goals. If the child does not cooperate during the survey or cannot be involved in the examination, the primary therapeutic goal is to establish this cooperation, which will facilitate the detection of the child’s developmental skills profile at the first semi-annual check up.

After the first examination, a qualified TSMT therapist, after selecting and compiling the personalized TSMT training from more than 1,000 tasks, trains the parents so they can practice at home the set of tasks on regular basis, as recommended by the therapist. If required, the family can see the therapist and practice together several times a month, but according to the protocol monthly check ups at the institution are mandatory. At the monthly check-up and at the readjusting of tasks every two months, the therapist adjusts the strength of the tasks and stimuli, corrects the execution of the tasks if necessary, and increases the level of task difficulty according to the therapeutic goals.

How long does TSMT I therapy take?

The sessions of TSMT I therapy last from 20 (between 3 months and 12 months of age) to 90 minutes, depending on age and cooperation. As the repetitions progress, the time to perform a set of exercises decreases, but after a certain age 30 minutes are the minimum amount of practice for the effective reshaping of nervous system structures. TSMT I therapy typically lasts for at least six months, followed by a retesting, which determines the further therapeutic goals. If the child’s developmental delay was found less than 3 months after the follow up examination, or his symptoms have decreased or completely disappeared, the therapy can be stopped or replaced by other developmental method (speech therapy, special education development, drama pedagogy, foundation therapy, TSMT group sessions, etc.).