Therapies

Physical therapy helps regain muscle strength, movement, and pain management through stretching, range of motion exercises, and splinting to optimize joint mobility. Special attention is paid to each child's bed and wheelchair positioning to promote optimal alignment. Physical therapists also participate in the spasticity management team through Botulinum injections and Baclofen interventions to enhance movement potential and ease of care.

Occupational therapists work with the children to improve daily living skills. They teach children self-care skills (like brushing teeth), improve fine motor skills (grasping toys) and develop perceptual motor and sensory integration skills. Therapists also design and fabricate upper extremity splints for the children.

Speech-Language Pathologists address disorders that affect a person's speech, language, cognition, voice, and/or swallowing through prevention, diagnosis, habilitation and rehabilitation. At the Center, a certified Speech-Language Pathologist provides therapy to target identified areas of disorder and/or delay through individual, co-treatment and peer group treatment. An individualized treatment plan is developed for each patient following evaluation.

Children are able to achieve therapeutic goals through fun musical activities. For example, playing color-coded piano keys teaches children colors as well as how to read from left to right. As a part of the music therapy program, children perform musicals for their families and friends periodically throughout the year.

The opportunity for a patient to play in a pool can bring joy and a range of movement not possible in a different setting. Aquatic therapy can assist patients with meeting therapeutic goals by providing relaxed muscles during stretching and range of motion activities. The temperature of the water is generally 98 degrees to help relax the muscles and skin tissue prior to stretching exercises.

The Children's Center has an on-site seating clinic that provides individualized/custom seating for a child's wheelchair efficiently and cost-effectively for both inpatients and outpatients. The rehabilitation team works with families to develop the most appropriate seating system to promote independence, function and comfort.

A simulator is used to create a mold of the child's body, which is used to create a custom seating system for their individual body type.

Patients are tested and receive an individualized treatment plan to improve their ability to breathe. Therapists work closely with physicians to use the best medications and equipment for effective airway clearance.

Areas of Expertise:

• Ventilator weaning
• Ventilator management
• Tracheostomies
• Airway management

Equipment used to achieve optimal respiratory status:

• LTV series Ventilators
• IPV
• Cough Assist
• The Vest
• Vision Bipap

Home Ventilator Program
The respiratory therapy department at the Center has an excellent home ventilator program that works with area hospitals to empower families to return home fully equipped to care for their child on a ventilator. This program trains parents for six to eight weeks to be their child's respiratory therapist (without a license), works with home care to get the equipment the child may need to return home, and provides the knowledge and expertise that parents need as a resource during training.

Recreational therapy addresses every child's need for play. A child's leisure skills and interests are used as a way to encourage physical, cognitive, social and emotional growth. Recreational therapists work with other disciplines to find creative and fun ways for children to accomplish their therapeutic goals.

Outings are planned to help patients and family members use new or re-learned skills in a "real life" setting.

Outings are an essential part of the recreational therapy program at the Center. This program strives to provide activities for children to fulfill their need for fun. Outings are also a wonderful way for patients and families to see what they need to work on before they re-enter the community. Therapists attend the outing to evaluate rehab goals and what each child needs to accomplish before the child goes home.

Through these activities, children are given the opportunity to interact with the community, enjoy themselves and also re-learn skills to return home.

Proper nutrition is the key to a child's overall health and well-being. Assessments provide a detailed evaluation of the patient's current nutritional needs and determine the best plan to meet them. The plan addresses medical nutrition therapy, establishment of individual goals, and evaluation of the outcome of therapy for each patient.