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No. 15 Vol. 2
www.thecaldwellnews.com
February 2017
Financial Support Brings New Suspension Program And Playground By Local Non-Profit
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By Ann Marie Barron pecial needs children receive the intense therapies they require in a caring, social environment, thanks to a West Caldwell nonprofit and its supporters. “We’re trying to give kids more therapy to make bigger gains over shorter periods of time,’’ said Scott Matthews, executive director and founder of Intensive Therapeutics, http:// intensivetherapeutics.org , which also operates out of its original location in Fanwood. Intensive Therapeutics offers physical, occupational and speech therapy to children in their offices, but also provides summer programs and other programs in public facilities and parks. The variety helps physically challenged children acclimate to society better than traditional, home-based services, Mat-
thews said. “They kind of get stuck in their homes,’’ he said of the children, many of whom have been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, or have suffered a traumatic brain injury. “Kids with at-home services don’t get to experience other kids. Here, they get used to a school-like setting. They get to interact with other kids and do the things that all kids do.’’ Intensive Therapeutics serves between 250 and 300 children each year at its two locations, in West Caldwell, and the original office in Fanwood. The two-story West Caldwell location comprises 14,000 square feet, while the Fanwood location is slightly smaller, Matthews said. A popular summer program serves 50 children at a time for six hours a day for four weeks. “It’s that kind of inten-
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sive therapy that will help these kids get better,’’ said Matthews, who founded Intensive Therapeutics in the basement of his home nearly 12 years ago. He opened the Fanwood facility in 2007 and the program has flourished ever since. Some of the children require one therapy, but many require more, Matthews said. “Kids with those types of disabilities usually need one, two or all three therapy services to be able to perform life skills better,’’ he said. The program charges fees on a sliding scale, helping those families that are financially challenged by medical costs. “We also have scholarships for those families that can’t afford services at all,’’ Matthews said. Recent facility improvements have made a huge impact, Matthews said.
A recent grant from The Montclair Foundation helped the program purchase a LiteGait, a suspension system that can lift a child slightly as they walk over a treadmill and “unweight” their legs from their full body weight. The suspension allows children to learn to use their affected leg for walking with less stress on their joints, Matthews said. “We’re very, very appreciative of the Montclair Foundation for its support,’’ Matthews said. “I can’t stress enough how grateful we are.’’ Another capital improvement is a brand new playground, slated to open this spring in the West Caldwell location. It will make acclimating children to social situations even easier, Matthews said. “Kids will get out of the house and work on those social skills, those play
skills, in a more natural context,’’ he said. “We’re really trying to fit in to the services that are already out there,’’ Matthews said. “We can
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