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Home > Our Services > Physicial, Occupational & Speech Therapy

Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy

CHKD's physical, occupational and speech services work to help children of all ages overcome and adapt to the challenges of developmental delay, disease or accident.

For the convenience of patients and their families, CHKD offers assessment and treatment therapy services at multiple locations.

Physical Therapy

Therapists work with patients to achieve optimal function in the following areas:

• Gross motor development
• Balance and coordination
• Gait training
• Strength, endurance and exercise training
• Lower extremity and trunk range of motion activities
• Functional independence, including bed mobility, transfers and wheelchair mobility
• Weight management
• Burn care and follow-up treatment
• Evaluation for equipment to increase independence and enhance performance
• Family and patient instruction and education
• Coordination of care, including discharge needs

Occupational Therapy

Therapists work with patients to achieve optimal function in one or more of the following areas:

• Fine motor skills and coordination development
• Activities of daily living, such as feeding, swallowing, dressing
• Bathing/hygiene and use of equipment to increase independence and enhance performance
• Upper extremity and trunk range of motion activities
• Visual perceptual/visual motor skills
• Sensory integration
• Burn care, including scar management and pressure garments
• Family and patient instruction and education
• Coordination of care, including discharge needs

Speech Therapy

Speech therapists work with patients providing both assessment and treatment in one or more of the following areas:

• Expressive and receptive language disorders
• Articulation disorders (including PROMPT technique)
• Fluency and voice disorders
• Swallowing and feeding disorders
• Cognitive and rehabilitation skills
• Aural rehabilitation including cochlear implant rehabilitation therapy and sign language
• Therapy for patients with craniofacial anomalies, cleft lip/cleft palate and velopharyngeal insufficiency
• Patient and family education and instruction
• Coordination of care, including discharge needs

Other Specialized Services

• Aquatic Therapy

  Physical and occupational therapists work with children in the water to help relax tight musculature, increase range of motion and improve strength, balance and endurance.

• Assistive Technology/Augmentative Program

  Providing services for children who are unable to functionally communicate verbally or through gestures due to various medical conditions.

• Car Seat Program

  Specially trained therapists offer car seat safety restraint evaluations for patients with special needs.

• Interactive Metronome

  Specially trained therapists use a computer-based training program to improve attention, coordination and timing in children with cognitive and physical difficulties, including ADHD. Learn more at www.interactivemetrononme.com.

• Neuromuscular electrical stimulation to treat dysphagia

  Specially trained therapists use small electrical currents to stimulate the muscles responsible for swallowing while “re-educating” the muscles through traditional therapy techniques. Learn more at www.vitalstim.com

• Serial Casting Clinic

  Providing upper and lower extremity casting to increase range of motion for children with contracted or tight musculature. Therapists apply a series of casts to achieve an appropriate alignment and functional range of motion.

• Splint Clinic

  Specializing in creating (fabricating) orthotics, adaptive equipment and hand splints. Examples are AFOs (ankle foot orthosis), knee extension splints, hand splints, Benik gloves and other specialized equipment.

• Therapeutic Listening

Specially trained therapists use auditory intervention to impact the nervous system to improve connection, engagement, communication, new learning and high level skills. Learn more at www.vitallinks.net.

• Video Swallow Studies

  These tests examine the swallowing skills of patients with diagnosed or suspected swallowing dysfunction.

• Wheelchair Clinic

  Certified therapists complete a comprehensive evaluation to determine and prescribe the appropriate wheelchair and seating system.

Contact Us

You can contact us by calling, 757-668-7083, or by e-mailing us at ptotst@chkd.org for an appointment or with any questions you may have regarding PT/OT/Speech.

Locations

For the convenience of patients and their families, assessment and treatment therapy services are available at the following locations