Pediatric Rehabilitation

Pediatric physical therapy aims to help children perform day-to-day tasks successfully and live a more active life. Our physical therapists use their expertise in movement, body function and motor development and apply clinical reasoning to provide a program that will help develop your child’s functional independence. The program also aims to motivate your child to actively participate in home, school and social environments.

Some of the therapy sessions and strategies that your physical therapist may incorporate include balance and coordination activities, flexibility exercises, massage, games, strength training and more.

Pediatric physical therapy can also help your child improve their mobility to participate in recreational sports. It is also ideal when/for:

• Dealing with developmental delays and helping your child achieve milestones such as crawling, standing and walking, etc.
• Decrease pain
• Improve range of motion
• Improving balance and coordination
• Improving mobility, strength and/or endurance (for those with orthopedic or muscular conditions)
• Managing congenital abnormalities
• Postsurgical rehabilitation
• Recovering from certain injuries (i.e., sports injury, brain injury, etc.)

Your child’s primary occupation includes playing, participating in school and getting involved in your family activities. Pediatric occupational therapy aims to help children who have sensory, physical and cognitive deficiencies perform in school and succeed in daily activities.

Our pediatric occupational therapists conduct personalized therapy sessions and exercises, whether at the clinic or in your home, to help your child develop and improve their fine motor, emotional, physical and social skills. This kind of treatment can also help improve your child’s self-esteem and sense of accomplishment.

Pediatric occupational therapy is also ideal when/for:

• Developing a child’s manual dexterity and motor coordination, including handwriting and computer skills
• Developing age-appropriate behavior
• Developing hand-eye coordination and perception
• Developing strategies in playing
• Recovering from postsurgical conditions
• Sensory-motor integration, processing and modulation
• Teaching self-care and basic life activities such as using the toilet, bathing, dressing, self-feeding, brushing teeth, etc.

Some disorders or impairments, whether congenital or acquired, can affect a child’s communication, cognition, fluency, voice and eating, drinking or swallowing capacity. If your child has this kind of disorder or if they are experiencing developmental delays, speech-language therapy is recommended as soon as possible. Children who do therapy before five years old tend to have better results than those who start later.

Our pediatric speech-language pathologists at Healthlink conduct comprehensive evaluations to determine the extent of impairment or developmental delay and create a personalized treatment plan to achieve the best possible results for your child. We incorporate various treatment strategies, including language intervention activities, articulation therapy, oral-motor or feeding and swallowing therapy as well as age-appropriate fun activities to encourage maximum participation.

Pediatric speech therapy is also ideal for/when:

• Addressing articulation and phonological deficits to improve speech intelligibility
• Encouraging expression of emotions
• Improving cognitive function
• Improving communication skills (listening, speaking and articulation)
• Improving feeding and swallowing skills
• Improving receptive and expressive communication
• Learning to communicate if the child has cleft lip or cleft palate
• Recovering from traumatic brain injury
• Strengthening oral muscles for eating, swallowing and speech
• Targeting developmental language delays to promote communication skills
• Training to low and high tech communication aides to promote nonverbal communication

The Palm Beach Health Network’s Outpatient Pediatric Therapy Center provides outpatient rehabilitative care to children who have physical and/or learning challenges due to illness, injury or congenital causes.

Our therapists are specially-trained in pediatric rehabilitation, so they can assess your child’s abilities and build an individualized program for him or her. The rehabilitation staff is able to provide hand therapy, treat vestibular disorders, has access to integrated listening systems and deliver neuro-developmental treatment. The team works with families and physicians to help patients reach their maximum potential.

Our services are provided within a developmental play framework, and family participation is encouraged to incorporate activities and techniques into the child’s normal routine.

Conditions Treated:

• Articulation, stuttering and voice disorders
• Autism spectrum disorders
• Chromosomal/genetic conditions
• Developmental delays and disorders
• Expressive and receptive language problems
• Hearing loss
• Motor planning disorders
• Neurologic conditions, such as stroke, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury
• Neuromuscular conditions, such as cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy
• Orthopedic conditions, such as scoliosis, toe walking, club foot and fractures
• Premature birth
• Sensory processing disorders
• Sports related orthopedic injuries and tendonitis
• Swallowing and feeding problems
• Torticollis
• Brachial plexus injuries
• Spasticity

Treatment Provided:

• Activities of daily living training
• Balance training
• Neurodevelopmental treatments
• Functional mobility/ambulation
• VitalStim therapy
• Speech and language therapy
• Oral motor/feeding therapy
• Splinting/serial casting
• Gross and fine motor coordination training
• Handwriting program
• Sensory integration treatment
• The Listening program
• Cognitive/perceptual retraining
• Wheelchair positioning and seating

Frequently Asked Questions:

Do I need a physician referral for my child to access services?

Yes. Talk with your child’s pediatrician about receiving therapy services in the Palm Beach Health Network

What insurance is accepted?

We accept most major insurances and worker’s compensation.

What do I need to bring to my child’s therapy session?

If you have the prescription for therapy, please bring it with you. You will also need your driver’s license (or photo ID) and insurance card. We ask that you arrive 30 minutes early for your first appointments to complete the initial paperwork.

How will my child’s therapy schedule be structured?

Therapy sessions are determined after an evaluation and are based on the child’s individual needs. We will make every effort possible to accommodate your family’s scheduling needs.

What should my child wear to therapy sessions?

We suggest loose-fitting, comfortable clothing that allows easy access for your child to be evaluated or treated. If the child has leg or knee problems, you should bring shorts. It may also be helpful for your child to wear athletic shoes.

How long will my child receive therapy services?

Some insurance programs allow a specific number of therapy sessions or a specific number of days per year that they will pay for therapy. We work very closely with both your insurance and your pediatrician to help ensure the best results for your child.

Can I tour the Pediatric Therapy Centers before I decide if it’s the right place for my child?

Absolutely! We encourage you to call to let us know you would like a tour. We would be happy to show you our center and answer your questions.