Pediatric physical therapists are specialized healthcare professionals who work with children to improve their physical development, motor skills, mobility, and overall functional abilities. They provide a range of services aimed at addressing developmental delays, disabilities, injuries, and other conditions that affect children's physical well-being. Some of the services provided by pediatric physical therapists include but are not limited to:

Evaluation and Assessment: Pediatric physical therapists assess a child's motor skills, posture, gait, muscle strength, coordination, and overall movement patterns to identify any developmental delays, disabilities, or impairments

Treatment planning: Based on the assessment, pediatric physical therapists develop individualized treatment plans tailored to the child's specific needs and goals. These plans outline the interventions and exercises that will help improve the child's physical abilities.

Development of gross motor skills: Pediatric physical therapists work on improving a child's gross motor skills, which include activities like crawling, walking, running, jumping, and climbing. They design exercises and activities to promote strength, balance, and coordination.

Mobility training: For children with mobility challenges, such as those who use mobility aids like wheelchairs or crutches, pediatric physical therapists help improve their mobility and teach them how to use their aids effectively.

Strength & endurance training: Children with certain medical conditions or developmental delays may need targeted exercises to build muscle strength and endurance. Physical therapists create exercise programs that are safe and effective for each child's condition.

Balance & coordination training: Pediatric physical therapists work on improving a child's balance and coordination through various activities and exercises. These skills are crucial for performing daily tasks and participating in recreational activities.

Adaptive equipment & assistive technology: Some children may benefit from using adaptive equipment or assistive technology to enhance their mobility and independence. Pediatric physical therapists help with the selection, fitting, and training for such devices.

Pain management: Children experiencing pain due to musculoskeletal issues, injuries, or medical conditions can benefit from techniques and interventions provided by pediatric physical therapists to manage their pain effectively.

Neuromuscular re-education: Pediatric physical therapists work with children who have neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, or traumatic brain injuries to improve muscle control, coordination, and movement patterns.

Home exercise programs: Pediatric physical therapists often provide families/caregivers with home exercise programs to ensure that the child continues to practice and progress outside of therapy sessions.

Collaboration with other health professionals: Pediatric physical therapists often collaborate with other healthcare professionals, such as occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, doctors, and educators, to ensure a comprehensive and integrated approach to the child's care.

Our focus is on assessing and treating communication disorders and difficulties in children. These entail a wide range of speech, language, and communication challenges, including:

Articulation Disorders: These involve difficulties with pronouncing sounds and forming words correctly. Children may substitute one sound for another, omit certain sounds, or distort sounds in their speech.

Language Delays: Language delays refer to when a child's expressive (spoken) and receptive (understanding) language skills are not developing at the expected rate for their age.

Language Disorders: These are more severe and persistent language difficulties that can affect a child's ability to understand and use language effectively for communication.

Fluency Disorders: Fluency disorders include stuttering, which involves disruptions in the normal flow of speech, such as repetitions, prolongations, or blocks of sounds, syllables, or words.

Pragmatic (Social) Language Disorders: Pragmatic language difficulties involve challenges in using language appropriately in social interactions, such as understanding and using nonverbal cues, taking turns in conversations, and following social norms.

Speech therapy helps children develop effective communication skills, which are essential for their academic, social, and emotional growth. Early intervention and ongoing therapy can significantly improve a child's communication abilities and overall quality of life.

Each treatment involves an individualized approach, as each child's needs and challenges are unique. The therapy sessions may include a variety of techniques and activities such as:

Play-based activities that help develop language and communication skills while engaging the child's interest.

Articulation exercises to improve speech sound production.

Language-building activities that target vocabulary, sentence structure, and comprehension.

Social communication interventions to help children interact more effectively with peers and adults.

Fluency-enhancing strategies to reduce stuttering.

Pediatric feeding therapy focuses on assessing and addressing feeding and swallowing difficulties in infants, children, and adolescents. The goal of pediatric feeding therapy is to help children develop safe, efficient, and enjoyable feeding and swallowing skills, as well as to address any related issues that might hinder their overall growth and development. Feeding therapists work closely with the child and their family to create individualized treatment plans. These plans may involve a combination of techniques and strategies to address specific challenges and improve the child's feeding abilities.

Children who might benefit from pediatric feeding therapy include those with:

“Picky Eating”: Children who are extremely selective about the foods they eat, often limiting their diet to just a few preferred items.

Food Aversions: Children who exhibit strong negative reactions to certain textures, smells, tastes, or appearances of food.

Oral-Motor Difficulties: Children who struggle with the physical aspects of eating and swallowing, such as difficulty chewing, coordinating movements, or manipulating food in their mouth.

Swallowing Disorders (Dysphagia): Children who have difficulty swallowing safely, which can lead to choking or aspiration (inhaling food or liquid into the airway).

Gastrointestinal Conditions: Children with medical conditions affecting the gastrointestinal tract, such as reflux, gastrointestinal surgery, or other disorders that impact feeding.

Neurological Conditions: Children with neurological disorders or developmental delays that affect their ability to coordinate swallowing and feeding.

Therapy sessions are tailored to the individual needs of the child and typically include strategies to:

Increase the variety of foods a child is willing to eat.

Address sensory aversions and help desensitize the child to different textures and tastes.

Develop oral-motor skills needed for chewing, swallowing, and manipulating food.

Teach appropriate feeding behaviors and routines.

Address any underlying medical issues or conditions affecting feeding.

The therapy process can involve various techniques, including play-based activities, sensory exposure, gradual food introduction, and structured routines. Parent or caregiver involvement is often crucial, as they play a key role in implementing strategies and promoting successful feeding habits at home.