Rehabilitation
At Memorial Children’s Therapy Center, we’re dedicated to advancing your child’s journey toward better health and greater independence. Our certified therapists in physical, speech and occupational therapy understand the complex nature of each child’s rehabilitation needs. We strive to foster a comfortable learning environment for children and families and place you at the center of our care team. Our therapy includes a variety of interventions, individualized treatments and equipment to help your child perform to his potential.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is a type of rehabilitation that helps people who have lost their ability to move easily. Children may need physical therapy if they were born with or develop a physical or mental disability, a sports injury or a medical condition.
Our physical therapists help kids improve pain and regain strength, flexibility, range of motion, balance, endurance and coordination. Some of our therapies include:
- Therapeutic exercises
- Massage
- Heat or cold therapy
- Electrical stimulation
- Ultrasound therapy
- Training in how to use adaptive devices like artificial limbs
At the Children’s Therapy Center, conditions we treat include:
- Amputation
- Arthritis
- Balance impairments
- Developmental delay
- Weakness from cancer, transplant or other conditions
- Musculoskeletal injuries
- Idiopathic toe-walking requiring serial casting
- Neurological disorders such as traumatic brain injury or tumor
Speech Therapy
Sometimes children understand the words they are trying to say, but because of motor dysfunction, hearing problems or other issues, they are unable to say certain words. That’s where we can help.
Our speech therapists work with children to teach them exercises that strengthen the muscles used in speaking and swallowing as well as exercises that strengthen the vocal cords and improve voice quality. If needed, they can help your child with alternative communication devices (AACs), such as picture communication boards and electronic speech generating devices.
Our speech therapists assess and provide treatment for a variety of speech conditions including:
- Childhood apraxia of speech – This motor speech disorder causes difficulties pronouncing sounds, syllables and words.
- Dysarthria – This motor speech disorder is caused by impaired movement of the muscles used for speech production, including lips, tongue, vocal cords and/or diaphragm.
- Orofacial myofunctional disorders – The tongue moves in an exaggerated way during speech and/or swallowing and causes words to sound different.
- Stuttering – This disorder affects the fluency of speech and causes disruptions in the production of speech sounds. Some words are repeated or preceded by “um” or “uh.”
In addition to speech therapy, our therapists provide treatment for various voice and language disorders including:
- Vocal cord nodules – Noncancerous growths on both vocal cords caused by vocal abuse that can cause hoarseness, neck pain and a scratchy voice
- Vocal cord polyps – Swelling or bump that feels like a blister caused by vocal abuse that can cause a scratchy voice, body fatigue and decreased voice pitch range
- Language-based learning disability – Often called dyslexia, includes problems with age-appropriate reading, spelling and/or writing
- Preschool language disorder – Disorder that affects young children that is characterized by problems understanding, talking, following directions, answering questions or identifying objects and pictures
Occupational Therapy
Mastering daily living skills such as dressing and feeding can seem simple, but in reality, a lot of fine motor skills are required to perform these tasks. Our occupational therapists are here to help optimize a child’s functional abilities for everyday living.
Occupational therapists help kids strengthen or improve existing skills, and find new ways to compensate for temporary or permanent loss of function. Some of the ways we help include:
- Therapeutic exercises
- Assistive devices such as dressing aids and bathing equipment
- Modifying daily tasks or a child’s environment to better accommodate special needs
- Wheelchair evaluations to ensure proper function and comfort
We provide therapy for children living with conditions that include:
- Cerebral palsy
- Amputation
- Arthritis
- Autism
- Developmental delay
- Feeding disorders
- Hand injuries
- Visual motor and/or visual perceptual impairments
For more information about pediatric rehabilitation at Memorial’s Children’s Therapy Center, call 574.647.5007. You may also contact your child’s pediatrician as referrals are required.