Disorders of the Corpus Callosum
Therapies
This page highlights therapy types often utilized by individuals with DCC and offers a starting point for understanding available support options.
Speech Therapy
- What is it?
- Speech therapy is a service in which individuals learn and grow their communication and language skills. There is a wide range of skills that can be improved by speech therapy, such as speaking, language comprehension, fluency of speech, clarity of speech, and more.
- Source: Cleveland Clinic
- Why is it helpful for a DCC?
- Language and communication is often affected by DCCs. There is evidence for delays in expressive language development, as well as difficulties in complex language comprehension in adults. Speech therapy can support and refine existing speech skills, as well as help develop areas of difficulty. Speech therapy is also helpful for newborns and infants. In this age range, therapists help with feeding skills, which often originate in the oral region. They can also be helpful to prepare infants for the critical period of language development.
Occupational Therapy
- What is it?
- Occupational therapy is a service in which individuals learn and grow their everyday skills. There is a wide range of skills that people can receive help with, such as more physical tasks like getting dressed or brushing your teeth, but can also include executive functioning related tasks like planning routines or learning work skills. Occupational therapists will conduct an assessment with the individual and their loved ones/caretakers to determine the most beneficial program for that individual.
- Source: Cleveland Clinic
- Why is it helpful for a DCC?
- Occupational therapy can be helpful for multiple groups of people, including those who have experienced a trauma or injury, have chronic conditions, or have a disability. Individuals with a DCC may benefit from occupational therapy because it may help make day-to-day tasks easier or promote independence. Executive functioning has been shown to be a source of difficulty in individuals with a DCC, but occupational therapists can help support and grow these skills.
Physical Therapy
- What is it?
- Physical therapy is a service in which individuals improve their ability to perform physical movements. This includes multiple types of rehabilitation: stretching, strength training, massage, heat or cold therapy, hydrotherapy, and more.
- Source: Cleveland Clinic
- Why is it helpful for a DCC?
- Individuals with a DCC often experience delays in motor development. Physical therapy can help infants and children improve their motor skills, such as crawling or walking. Physical therapy can also help adults with strength and mobility.
Music Therapy
- What is it?
- Music therapy is a service in which individuals can process emotions through music. Talking about emotions can be difficult to express. In music therapy, the practitioner uses musical instruments, rhythms, songs, singing, and more to help the individual work towards personal goals.
Source: Cleveland Clinic
Psychological Therapy
- What is it?
- Psychological therapy (also called talk therapy) is a service in which individuals speak with a therapist about their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. The goal is to help individuals work through troubling thoughts and emotions, as well as external issues that the individual is facing.
- Source: Mayo Clinic
- Why is it helpful for a DCC?
- Psychological therapy can be beneficial for anyone! Talking through the issues in your life and having an objective listening ear is very healthy. It can be especially helpful for individuals with a DCC because executive functioning can be a difficulty, which means that processing emotions may require more effort. So, speaking with a psychotherapist can improve individuals’ mental and emotional well-being.
- What are the different types?
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- This type of psychological therapy can help individuals identify thought patterns in their life that are causing issues and work to reframe these patterns.
- Source: Mayo Clinic
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- This type of psychological therapy is targeted towards emotion regulation. It focuses on aligning thoughts with emotional responses through talking.
- Source: Cleveland Clinic
- EMDR
- EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, uses specific eye-movements while processing distressing experiences to heal from them.
Source: Cleveland Clinic
Vision Therapy
- What is it?
- Vision therapy is a service in which individuals can improve their vision. Vision therapy can help with many visual issues, such as strabismus, amblyopia, focusing difficulties, hand-eye coordination, and visual perception and processing.
- Source: Cleveland Clinic
- Why is it helpful for a DCC?
- Vision issues are highly reported among individuals with a DCC. Vision therapy can help to improve the existing visual processing, which can improve other aspects of development.
Art Therapy
- What is it?
- Art therapy is a service in which individuals can process emotions through art. Talking about emotions can be difficult and hard to dictate. With art therapy, an individual can express their feelings in a guided session, where a practitioner uses drawing, painting, sculpting, and more to help the individual work towards their personal goals.
Source: Psychology Today
Animal-Assisted Therapy
- What is it?
- Animal-assisted therapy is a service in which individuals work towards therapeutic goals (physical, social, emotional, etc.) with the presence of an animal. The purpose is to create a bond with the animal, providing a sense of comfort while participating in a potentially stressful therapy session.
- Source: Psychology Today
Source: Pandey et al. (2025)
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