If you have been told that your child may need services due to their disability or, Summit Healthcare’s Therapy Services offers a complete spectrum of physical, occupational and speech therapy services especially designed for children ages newborn to teen.
Our highly skilled and experienced therapists are dedicated to provide the best possible treatment for children with special needs. Our physical and occupational therapists and speech therapists work with children to help them recover from serious injuries or overcome certain aspects of long-term disabilities.
Why would my child need therapy?
Parents often think of therapy, particularly physical or occupational therapy, as an adult thing. Therapy for children can be critical for a variety of reasons. Therapy can help a child keep up with his or her peers, enhancing self-esteem. It can teach them how to articulate sounds and syllables to keep up in school or hit certain developmental milestones. Or it can help a child get back out there after an injury or prolonged illness. We like to think of our therapy services for children at Summit Healthcare as helping them be just kids, instead of being hindered by physical or language barriers.
Patient Testimonial
“Summit Hospital is where all 12 of our children have been born. The staff of nurses and other support staff have always been awesome. We’ve visited the Emergency room on countless occasions and always encountered great service…” by Ronald Smith
Physical Therapy For Children
If a child or teen has been injured, or has movement problems from an illness, disease, or disability, physical therapy at Summit Healthcare can get them back on track or it can open doors that were never in reach. Our physical therapists use a variety of treatments to help build strength, improve movement, and to strengthen skills involved in everyday activities.
Reasons A Child Needs Physical Therapy
Physical therapy comes into play any time there is a problem with movement. Doctors often recommend PT for children with these problems:
- Developmental delays
- Sports injuries
- Orthopedic injuries/disabilities
- Cerebral palsy
- Developmental delays
- Heart and lung conditions
- Birth defects
- Genetic disorders
- Acute trauma
- Head injury
- Limb deficiencies
- Muscle diseases
What activities are used for child therapy?
These are physical therapy activities our therapists may guide a child through:
- Balance and coordination activities
- Adaptive play
- Aquatic therapy
- Developmental activities, such as crawling and walking
- Building strength around an injury
- Using heat and cold to improve circulation around injuries
- Increasing range of motion/flexibility
- Injury-prevention instruction
Occupational Therapy For Children
At Summit Healthcare, our occupational therapists can help kids improve their cognitive, physical, sensory, and motor skills. These improvements provide a big boost in their self-confidence and lead to a real sense of accomplishment.
Children Who Can Benefit From Occupational Therapy
Children with the following medical problems can benefit from occupational therapy:
- Sensory processing disorders
- Traumatic injuries of the brain or spinal cord
- Birth injuries or defects
- Learning problems
- Autism/Developmental disorders
- Mental health or behavioral problems
- Broken bones
- Orthopedic injuries
- Post-surgical conditions
- Developmental delays
- Burns
- Spina bifida
- Severe hand injuries
- Multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and other chronic illnesses
What are the benefits of occupational therapy for children?
Some areas that an occupational therapist can work on with a child are:
Occupational Therapy vs. Physical Therapy
People confuse occupational therapy and physical therapy. Simply put, PT deals with pain, strength, joint range of motion, endurance, and gross motor function. OT deals more with fine motor skills, visual-perceptual skills, cognitive skills, and sensory-processing deficits.
Speech Therapy For Children
Language and speech skills go hand in hand with development in school. If you sense a problem, such as stuttering, it’s important to get your child to a speech therapist because these problems can be overcome with speech therapy. Speech-language therapy is the treatment for most kids with speech and/or language disorders.
Speech vs. Language Disorders
The difference between speech disorders and language disorders may be unclear. A speech disorder refers to a problem with how a child produces sounds. A language disorder refers to a problem with a child’s understanding of words or how to put together words to communicate.
Speech Disorders & Language Disorders
These are language disorders:
How long do therapy sessions last?
Our therapy services for children are designed for the newborns up through teenagers. Duration of individual therapy can be just a month or two, or ongoing. Every child’s situation is unique.
