ABILITY PLUS THERAPY, INC.
MELBOURNE, FLORIDA

Our daughter, Angelique, recently completed a 3-week intensive program at Ability Plus Therapy. We are thrilled with the progress she made over this time. She met or exceeded all of our expectations prior to the start of this therapy program. She went from not using her walker at all, to now using it almost every day for longer and longer periods with each use. Our daughter gained greater strength, muscular endurance, increased range of motion and a better sense of body awareness. Her therapist,Roberta, was great to work with from the start; she quickly developed great rapport with our daughter and was able to really get her engaged and excited about the sessions. Most days she did not want to leave and that was even after 4 hours of intense work! All of the staff was friendly, helpful and a pleasure to interact with. It was great to get our daughter into the summer session and we are looking to do it again next year to continue to build upon the success that we achieved thus far! Our mission is to provide the best quality of care through the use of innovative equipment, skills of highly trained therapists, and a friendly and caring environment to make a difference. We have not only touched children lives here in Brevard County, but also from all over the United States and the world, including Canada, South Africa, England, Ireland, Russia, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and many more. We serve children and young adults with various diagnoses, including but not limited to cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, spina bifida, developmental delay, down syndrome and other genetic disorders, seizure disorder, arthrogryposis, muscular dystrophy, mitochondrial disorder, autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing disorder, ADHD, and many others. Ability Plus Therapy was established in 2004, as the We started offering traditional therapy in 2006 to serve the local population of children in our area. We now have 15 therapists and offer Speech, Occupational and Physical Therapy Services. Children can receive all therapy services in one place which help create greater collaboration and optimal continuity of care for the child and the family. Founder and Co-Owner of Ability Plus Therapy, Co-Founder of No Limits Academy The journey of their life with their children has been the best experience and the toughest education Laura and her husband could ever have, which began in 1991. The experiences with their older son lead to the adoption of their second son who also has disabilities. This, in turn, created opportunities to help other children and families that are on similar journeys. As parents, to be told that your child will never walk on their own and that the brain damage shown on the MRI is severe enough that the motor function in all four limbs of your child’s body is completely affected is very difficult to deal with. This was Cheyne’s situation, their biological son. The doctors could not tell them if it would affect Cheyne’s ability to learn or speak. “Take him home and love him and be glad he is alive”, one physician told Laura. In 2000, they adopted Matthew at three years of age. They knew Matthew was diagnosed with Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy just like Cheyne. They also knew he did not have the care that Cheyne had received since birth and his disability would be worse without it. They had no idea how severe Matthew’s condition was until they brought him home. Matthew could not eat solid foods, lift his head off the ground, or speak, and he had sensory issues that are too many to list. Matthew is now in High School and walking with a walker! Laura fully believes in Intensive Physical Therapy and the TheraSuit Method. She credits the habilitation of her son Cheyne to this method. Through intensive intervention, he was re-diagnosed with Spastic Diplegia, and currently walks with two canes and is still working toward using one cane. For Matthew, intensive therapy is also a huge part of his habilitation and will be the key to getting him to walk. Laura believes that any child with disability should be given the chance to succeed! Physical Therapist, Clinic Director, Co-Owner of Ability Plus Therapy, Co-Founder of No Limits Academy Roberta was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She moved to Connecticut with her parents in 1990 and Melbourne in 1996. She earned a Bachelor in Health Sciences in 2001 and a Master in Physical Therapy in 2002 from Florida International University. She moved back to Melbourne and worked at Cornerstone in 2002. From 2003 to 2005, she worked for Brevard Public Schools, which was when she met Laura Joslin — Roberta was Matthew’s PT. This is how it all started. She began working at Ability Plus Therapy in June 2005. In December 2005, Laura asked her to become co-owner of Ability Plus Therapy, and she officially joined partnership in June 2006. In August 2008, they founded No Limits Academy. She became certified in the TheraSuit Method and intensive therapy in 2005, and in Neuro-Developmental Treatment (NDT) in 2011. It’s been an exciting journey for her! Roberta’s professional expertise and Laura’s experience with her two children with cerebral palsy have helped them build Ability Plus Therapy to be the best clinic in Brevard County. Her heart’s desire is to touch every child and family that come to Ability Plus Therapy and see children achieve success! With God all things are possible! Michelle lived in Nashville, Tennessee from age of 3 until 2016. In May 2016, she, her husband, and son moved to Melbourne, FL because they had a desire for a change and to be closer to their daughters. Michelle has worked in billing and healthcare for over 15 years, with a strong background in customer service. She began working for Ability Plus Therapy in January 2017. At Ability Plus Therapy, she has found the place she was meant to be at in life. She looks forward to welcoming and working with the families who allow Ability Plus Therapy to care for them and their children.