There's nothing like adding fun to therapy.
Just ask Kevin Spencer.
Spencer travels far and wide spreading the message of bringing magic to the rehabilitation process.
This week he visited kids at the Children's Development Center and the rehabilitation unit of Williamsport Regional Medical Center to show off some of his magic.
Spencer, assistant professor in the Occupational Therapy Department, University of Alabama, Birmingham, brought delight to the eyes of Cynthia Lunger, of Muncy, after showing her how to perform his paper clips trick.
"Wow. That was great of you to show me that," said Lunger, who who undergoing therapy for a traumatic brain injury she sustained as the result of a fall.
The paper clip trick amounts to placing two clips on each side of a folded dollar bill. When the bill is reopened, the two clips are almost magically fastened together.
Squeals of delight could be heard from special needs kids at the Children's Development Center who were able to perform that and other tricks taught to them by Spencer.
"They (kids) are just loving this," said Joan Dice, the Development Center's pre-school director and a speech pathologist. "It's a great way to work on fine motor skills."
Spencer also had the kids stretch a rope across their laps and then fold their arms.
They were skeptical when he told them they would be tying a knot in the middle of the rope.
The kids were instructed to grab each end of the rope with their hands without unfolding their arms.
Keep hold of both ends of the rope, he said, while unfolding your arms.
Again, laughter filled the room, the kids amazed that they now had knots in their ropes.
"This is absolutely wonderful," said Children's Development Center Board President Barry Rake. "To have this type of experience for children is great."
Spencer said bringing magic to therapy is great for children and adults.
Spencer, 52, should know.
Twenty-seven years ago, he sustained lower spine and brain injuries as the result of a car accident.
He recalled the long rehabilitation process as anything but fun.
"I know how boring it can be," he said.
He decided there had to be a better way of therapy, one that combines magic with sound rehabilitation.
Susquehanna Health physical, occupational and speech therapists shown some of the tricks were obviously having fun trying out some of the magic demonstrated to them by Spencer.
"Look at your faces," he laughed.
Those smiles, he said, can be translated to their patients, which can serve as great motivation in their therapy.
"I think it's really cool," said physical therapist Melissa Karschner. "It gives us a chance to do things that are more fun."
Karschner added that therapy includes much repetition, but adding tricks and magic can certainly help motivate patients in their rehabilitation.
Douglas Brush, of Mill Hall, won't argue with that.
Brush, who recently sustained a stroke, had a grin on his face after successfully performing Spencer's rope trick.
"A lot of time physical therapy is work, so changing it up is fun and exciting," he said.
On Thursday, Spencer was at the Community Arts Center to perform his magic for children, before a show for the community that night.
His research-based approach to therapy is to help children and adults achieve their maximum physical, communicative, cognitive, social and functional potentials while having fun.
Considered the leading authority on the therapeutic use of magic in rehabilitation, Spencer has conducted training for therapists worldwide.
