Pediatric therapy
Advocate’s pediatric rehabilitation professionals understand that every child’s clinical needs are different. Our occupational, physical and speech-language therapists work closely with you, your family and your physicians to treat a wide range of pediatric conditions.
What sets us apart:
- Clear objectives: You and your therapist will set goals for your child's therapeutic outcomes, during a detailed, individualized evaluation
- Personal attention: One-to-one appointments with an Advocate speech-language, occupational or physical therapist
- Timely, engaged follow-up: Periodic reassessment, to ensure your goals are being met and to make modifications if needed
After seeing your child's doctor for a pediatric rehabilitation referral, call 800-3-ADVOCATE to find a therapist and schedule an appointment, or find a rehabilitation location online.
Types of pediatric therapy
Conditions we treat include:
- Mispronounced words
- Sound and speech disorders, including unintelliglble speech
- Dysfluency (stuttering)
- Difficulty swallowing and/or feeding
- Orofacial myofunctional ("tongue thrust") disorders
- Impaired pragmatics and social skills
- Prematurity
Therapeutic specialties:
- Expressive language skills
- Processing and comprehension
- Augmentative communication training
- Computers and therapeutic software
- Feeding and swallowing
Learn more about Advocate’s speech therapy services.
Conditions we treat include:
- Developmental delay and prematurity
- Erb's Palsy and brachial plexus injuries
- Feeding and eating concerns
- Neurological and neuromuscular disorders
- Problems with fine motor coordination, including handwriting difficulties
- Problems with self-care (e.g., dressing, bathing and grooming)
- Sensory integration problems, including sensory defensiveness disorder
- Upper extremity fractures, sprains and strains, and sports injuries
- Autism
- Down Syndrome
- Genetic syndromes
Therapeutic specialties:
- Sensory integrative therapy
- Neurodevelopmental treatment
- Listening therapy
- Computers and therapeutic software
- Adaptive equipment
- Toy adaptations
- Fine motor skills
Treating sensory defensiveness disorder
Does your child complain about the roughness of the tags on his shirts and the seams of his socks? Is she oversensitive to certain food flavors and textures? Are haircuts a source of anxiety and frustration for both you and your child? Over- or under-sensitivity to touch, movement, or other sensory stimuli are some of the most common issues associated with sensory defensiveness disorder that parents discuss with occupational therapists.
It is estimated that between 12-17 percent of all children have some degree of sensory integration dysfunction; therefore, it is important to be aware of sensory defensiveness as the first step toward successful treatment. In fact, there are unlimited choices for sensory activities. With the proper program and organization, occupational therapy can be an effective means of treating sensory defensiveness.
Advocate's occupational therapists - and in particular, experts in our Pediatric Alternatives for Creative Therapy (PACT) program - are available to discuss your questions and concerns about sensory defensiveness and its treatment. To learn more about the disorder and about the PACT program, call 800-3-ADVOCATE.
Learn more about Advocate's occupational therapy services.
Our pediatric physical therapists are experienced with common neurological injuries sustained at birth and during infancy, as well as orthopedic and genetic disorders. We’ll help your child work toward developmental milestones in gross motor skills, and improve their quality of movement by assessing, through age-appropriate play:
- Muscle strength
- Joint movement
- Gross motor coordination
- Balance
- Endurance
- Motor planning
We recognize that a variety of disorders can have an impact on your child's physical development.
Conditions we treat include:
- Cerebral palsy
- Chondromalacia (wearing and injury of cartilage)
- Developmental delay and prematurity
- Down Syndrome
- Gait abnormalities and walking difficulty
- Gross motor coordination problems
- Leg length discrepancies
- Lower extremity fractures, sprains and strains, and sports injuries
- Muscle tightness and weakness
- Postural dysfunction and scoliosis
- Torticollis and plagiocephaly
Therapeutic specialties:
- Aquatic therapy
- Infant calming and infant massage
- Kinesiotaping
- Myofascial release
- Neurodevelopmental therapy (NDT)
- Orthopedic rehabilitation
- Postural re-education
- Patient and parent education
- Therapeutic play
Learn more about Advocate's physical therapy services.
Age-specific services and treatment
At Advocate, responsiveness to our patients' special needs and those of their parents is of paramount importance; as such, we encourage early intervention. Beginning pediatric occupational, physical and/or speech therapy at an early age helps to optimize your child's therapeutic outcomes, enhance his or her self-esteem, and reinforce success.
Our services evolve as your child develops, as described in the sections below.
Advocate's pediatric therapists visit infants in the hospital nursery to assess their needs based on prenatal birth insult, illness or surgery, as well as birth anomaly or feeding difficulty. Our physical, occupational and/or speech therapists then visit your child daily to address anatomical positioning and facilitate feeding and normal development. Prior to going home, the therapists will provide information and training so parents and other caregivers can continue this intervention at home.
For newborns and children up to age three, we provide developmental screenings and evaluations, as well as on-going interdisciplinary support for your family. Together, we then set functional goals using a wide variety of techniques and approaches, including:
- Neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT)
- Instructional home programs
- Assessment of oral-motor function influencing the ability to eat and speak
- Hearing screenings
- Enhancement of your child's self-esteem
For children ages three to five, we:
- Focus on your child's ability to function independently
- Provide instruction and home programs to enhance your child's progress outside of the clinic environment
- Network with others involved with your child's development to ensure coordination of care
- Recommend adaptive equipment and approaches for eating, communications and mobility.
For children five years of age and older, we:
- Facilitate higher level motor skills, dynamic balance and reinforce skills learned between ages three and five years old
- Focus on function in your child's environment.
- Introduce the child to adaptive sports
- Enhance learning strategies
- Facilitate communication and function into later years of childhood
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