By birdonthestreet | Leave A Comment
Learning ABR at the Center in Montreal
The is part one of a series on alternative therapies for cerebral palsy.
What is it? ABR is a method of compression that seeks to restore volume and structure to areas of the body that have collapsed due to brain injury. This collapse can be as discrete as a short neck or as obvious as a deep depression in a person’s neck or chest. For example, my son has a depression in the middle of his chest that formed two weeks after birth. Towels and foam padding are used to make the pressure as light as possible. Primary areas for treatment include the abdomen, pelvis, neck, and jaw.
What does it cost? The first year of ABR costs around $8,000 (Canadian) paid either in installments of $2,000 at a time, or lump-sum. Depending on the exchange rate, this means anywhere from $6,400-$8,000 (American). Subsequent years are less expensive.
What is the time commitment? For the first year of ABR, you must travel and meet with trainers four times. After you learn the techniques, they recommend doing three hours per day on your child, but each family does as much as is best for them. After the first year, visits to the clinics are less frequent. Also, once techniques are mastered, parents have the option of renting an ABR machine to help reach their hours.
What else should I know? Currently there are no ABR centers in America. All families must travel to Montreal, Canada for their first training session. The rest of the year they may travel to “satellite” clinics set up at various location in the U.S.
For more information about ABR, please visit their website or contact the center directly.
As always, discuss any plans for treatment with your doctor.
ABOUT birdonthestreet
Katy is a former special ed teacher turned stay-at-home mom to her son who has cerebral palsy. She b{read more}
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It is very expensive isn’t it? How do they justify the cost?
ABR is expensive, but I think most therapies are. The difference is that this isn’t subsidied by an insurance company. In Argentina, insurance doesn’t cover the cost of physical therapy and parents there say that ABR is a bargain by comparison. My own research told me that ABR was cheaper than HBOT or stem cells.
Yes. I had a little boy who had profound CP, who sadly passed away 5 years ago. We tried virtually everything with him, which as you rightly say, cost a fortune. I got a little angry at what sometimes seemed the unjustifiable costs levied by some forms of therapy and so I got qualified im cognitive psychology and child development myself, to try to provide a more affordable and coherent alternative.