At Norton Children’s, we are dedicated to providing rehabilitation that truly meets the needs of your child and family. Our pediatric rehabilitation specialists provide physical, occupational and speech therapy to inpatients and outpatients. Our licensed therapists evaluate and treat infants through young adults for a wide range of diagnoses.

Upon request by your medical provider, a thorough evaluation of your child’s need for rehabilitation services will be provided. Each evaluation will include therapeutic and diagnostic procedures and tests. Our treatment plans are designed to take advantage of the most current technology, research and treatment techniques, including various play and other age-appropriate activities, in order to meet established goals and outcomes for your child.

We provide the following therapies:

Physical Therapy

Services include evaluation and therapeutic activities for development of muscles related to posture, balance, coordination, strength, movement, positioning and alignment (seating).

Whether the condition is due to an injury, developmental delay or medical condition, our pediatric-trained therapists can improve the child’s functional outcomes and abilities using evidence-based techniques and state-of-the-art equipment. Therapeutic services include:

• Gross motor skills development and strengthening
• Gait analysis and mobility training, including partial weight-bearing treadmill training
• Wheelchair assessment
• Balance and coordination training
• Neuromuscular education with the use of a neuromuscular electrical stimulator and functional electrical stimulator

Occupational Therapy

Services include evaluation and therapeutic activities for development of fine, sensory and visual motor skills. Our pediatric-trained therapists incorporate strategies to improve a child’s functional and social behaviors for home, school and community. Those activities include:

• Fine motor strengthening and coordination, including handwriting skills
• Self-care skills, including dressing, feeding and grooming
• Sensory processing and modulation
• Visual-motor development
• Motor planning
• Adaptive play and equipment
• Bracing and splinting

Speech Therapy

Our pediatric speech-language pathologists provide evaluation and therapeutic activities that enhance development of feeding and communication skills. Formal standardized testing, interactive play, social interventions and other therapies allow our specialists to determine the child’s functional level of communication and swallowing abilities.

Speech therapy may include:

• Articulation of speech sounds
• Expressive language training, which communicates thoughts through words and sentences
• Feeding, chewing and swallowing skills-building, including X-ray swallow studies for diagnosis
• Language comprehension, understanding concepts and following directions
• Reading and phonics
• Resonance, including the use of nasometry and X-ray speech studies
• Social skills play and community interactions
• Voice and vocal cord dysfunction training
• Augmentative and alternative communication training
• Cognitive development