If a patient’s walking becomes excessive when modeling BIG walking, what should the therapist do?

When a patient exhibits excessive walking behavior while modeling BIG walking, the therapist should model more relaxed walking to help shape the patient’s movement. This approach is effective because it allows the therapist to demonstrate a more controlled and deliberate walking pattern that the patient can emulate.

By modeling a relaxed style, the therapist can guide the patient toward achieving a more balanced and appropriate walking speed and movement pattern that aligns with the principles of LSVT BIG. It provides a clear visual and kinesthetic reference for the patient to follow, thereby facilitating better learning and integration of the desired motor patterns. This method supports the core principle of adaptive adjustment in therapy, promoting effective learning through demonstration.

The other choices do not address the patient’s excessiveness in a constructive manner. Continuing to model without adjustments may reinforce the excessive behavior, which is not conducive to effective learning. Reducing the intensity of the session could lead to decreased engagement and progress, while encouraging independent walking without guidance might overwhelm the patient further, potentially leading to ineffective movement patterns. Thus, the best approach is to model a more relaxed walking style to guide the patient toward appropriate movement.