Pediatric Physical Therapy is that part of physical therapy that focuses on the early detection of health problems and disorders in the pediatric population. Pediatric physical therapy uses a wide range of methods, techniques, and approaches to treat the spotted conditions and disorders. The pediatric physical therapy workers are trained to diagnose, treat and manage children with various congenital, skeletal, neuromuscular, developmental, or acquired conditions, disorders, or diseases, from infancy through adolescence. Treatments provided by these specialists focus on gross and fine motor skills, balance and coordination, strength, endurance, and also cognitive and sensory processing and integration. Their main purpose is to improve all these skills in children who suffer from developmental delays, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, or torticollis. These are just a few of the problems for which pediatric physical therapy is necessary.
Pediatric Physical Therapy promotes the independence of children and facilitates their motor development and function.
Through the nature of their work, specialists in pediatric PT promote the independence of children and facilitate their motor development and function. They also work to increase children’s participation, improve their strength and enhance their learning opportunities. Pediatric PT works with children to aid them in reaching their maximum potential in their functional independence. They do their work through a variety of specific actions such as examination, evaluation, promotion of health, and the implementation of a number of interventions and supports. Pediatric PT does not only work on its own, but their specialists collaborate with children’s families and also with other Therapists in the field to help families and their affected children through coordination of services, advocacy, and assistance with the only purpose of enhancing the development of these children.
To get such a child in a pediatric PT program, there will be, first an interview for identifying the needs of that child, and then an examination and evaluation process of the child in the context of his/her daily routines and actions. Though not limited to, the evaluation may include some of the following factors: sensory and neuromotor development, muscle and joint functioning, strength, and endurance, mobility ability, oral motor skills, feeding, etc. Providing pediatric PT to your child will continue with collaboration, counseling, and interventions in the natural learning environments. Of course, if this is necessary, there will be contacts of parents and their children with pediatric PT in hospitals and clinics, too.
Therapists in pediatric physical therapy support and use evidence-based practice because it integrates the research findings and the clinical expertise and values to collaborate with the children’s families, health care workers, and educators. In using this kind of practice, the purpose of pediatric physical therapy is to offer children: developmental activities, movement, and mobility, motor learning, safety and prevention programs, orthotics and prosthetics, and strengthening.
Not sure if physical therapy is needed for your child? Give us a call at 702.620.3124
