Exploring Life & Business with Angela Dugan of Adaptive Movements Pediatric Therapy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Dugan.

Hi Angela, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
How we started and how we got here is quite the love story. It began with Kaelyn, my daughter, who, at the early age of 4 months old, suffered a gran mal seizure, which led us years later to a crossroads in my professional career as a software engineer to the present day, a business owner of Adaptive Movements Pediatric Therapy. The crossroad was the challenge that most special needs parents face: the cost of care and the schedule of therapy and specialists, making it extremely difficult to balance a career outside the home and the care she needs. The love story is how inspired I’ve been over my daughter’s lifetime and the therapists we’ve grown to love along the way. This is where my business partner comes into the story. Denise Labriola-Berry. Adaptive Movements was founded by myself, Angela, and Denise (my better half). We have joked over the years that this is our Love Story, but that is 100% accurate. I’m a former software engineer who needed change from Corporate America, which seemed chained to it simultaneously because of the medical complexities of my disabled daughter, Kaelyn. So, for years, Denise and I laughed, cried, and joked about all the changes we would make to solve the challenges within our professions and, more importantly, how we would strengthen our community by bringing a pediatric intensive therapy model to Phoenix, AZ. Adaptive Movements Pediatric Therapy(AMPT) is made up of many people who are impacted by disabilities or who love someone impacted by a disability, and we are not lying when we say It takes a village to strengthen a community, and that is what we are doing. Creating possibility and strength for a community that has heard a lifetime of “you can’t.” You can, and We Will. Former Software Engineer. Forever mom to a child with a disability.

Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
We’ve struggled with the learning curve, certainly. After a lot of hours of research and learning, social media stands out as there is so much involved with business ownership, especially administrative tasks that with efficiency and automation, we hope that it alleviates some of the hassles of redundant paperwork, seamless billing, and timely communication so our families feel supported. Business ownership requires so much communication, which is an important commitment that two friends have to recommit to sometimes daily because we know even on the most challenging days, what we do matters.

We’ve been impressed with Adaptive Movements Pediatric Therapy, but for folks who might need to be more familiar, what can you share about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Intensive therapy is designed to provide longer and more frequent therapy sessions over a shorter period to accelerate your rehabilitation and recovery. It is tailored to your individual needs. We can combine CME, SpiderCage, and Therasuit in 2-3 week dynamic movement interventions. Each therapy discipline is what we consider a “tool,” so we offer highly effective tools to maximize results by challenging the traditional model of therapy where kids do not see the benefits of prolonged sessions with integral repetition.

What matters most to you? Why?
Accessibility is key. As the intensive style therapy grows in popularity because of years of results, we knew we wanted to bring it to the valley in such an underserved community! Arizona is my home; they say home is where your heart is.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.adaptivemovements.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/adaptivemovements?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdaptiveMovements?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@adaptivemovementspediatric3082