Can you remember when your child was born and how excited you were when he first rolled over and then sat up by himself? And how about the excitement when she first crawled or pulled herself up to standing? Every parent dreams of being there when their child takes their first tentative steps. But who do you turn to when your child isn’t able to do those things, or when you are worried that their development is delayed?
Did you know that physiotherapists are trained and knowledgeable in child development and are skilled at assisting children in reaching those important developmental milestones? The occupational therapist (OT) works on delays in fine motor skills and cognitive delays (e.g. problem-solving skills, memory, and attention). The OT can also work with children with sensory integration issues and delays in play and social interaction skills. Learning basic self-care tasks, such as getting dressed can also be addressed by the OT.
Child’s Play Physiotherapy provides physiotherapy services for children with a variety of conditions including but not limited to: Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Down Syndrome, Traumatic Brain Injury, Club Feet, Cancer, Plagiocephaly (flatness on the back of the head), Torticollis (“Wry Neck”), Autism, Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), and Developmental Delay.
The physiotherapist works with parents and caregivers and provides either hands-on treatment or home programming suggestions to meet a parent’s goals for their child. This could include: working with a parent to teach the child how to rollover or sit up by themselves, assisting a child to play on the playground, or selecting adaptive equipment that enables a child to walk, for example using a walker for additional support. We might work on improving eye-hand coordination so that the child is able to play ball games more successfully, or on balance so that they can ride a bike. Treatment is generally provided at home or in a child’s local community (playground, pool, etc.)
We also work with severely involved children and their caregivers providing advice regarding the safest ways to lift and move these children, maintaining maximum strength and flexibility, and assisting the child to experience a variety of positions and movement experiences throughout their day.
For further information, please contact us.
