Our Physical and Occupational Therapy staff are clinical specialists with extensive training in pediatriac rehabilitation. Two members of our Physical Therapy team are also nationally board-certified. All of our staff participate in the Multidisciplinary Evaluations that take place at the NSMC North Shore Children's Hospital.
In addition, they assist with the Florence Robertson Pediatric Rehabilitation Clinic. The Florence Robertson clinic offers parents an appointment with a team headed by physiatrist (a physician who specializes in pediatric rehabilitation.) The clinic's team-based approach to evaluation includes recommendations on treatment, medicine and equipment, and collaboration with specialized agencies.
Our Physical and Occupational Therapy staff offer specialty evaluations for:
- fine and gross motor delays
- sensory integration dysfunction
- neurological disorders
- orthopedic injuries
- autism
- cerebral palsy
- movement disorders
- functional difficulties with self-care
Physical Therapy
Our Physical Therapy staff also offer specialized equipment evaluation.
LiteGait® Walkable™
The LiteGait Walkable is a gait training device that involves a harness system to partially un-weight a child when facilitating ambulation. The system can be used over a treadmill or in various other treatment positions and sessions. Evaluation is required to determine patient eligibility for treatment.
Mobility equipment
Children can be evaluated by the physical therapists for specific equipment related to mobility, seating and positioning, and home equipment needs. This can include wheelchair evaluations, walkers, strollers, bathroom equipment and more. Recommendations are made in conjunction with the equipment vendor to best meet the child’s needs.
Occupational Therapy
Our Occupational Therapy staff also offer the following specialized treatments:
- Sensory Integration--including the creation of a personalized Sensory Diet
Thera Pressure (previously known as the Wilbarger Brushing Protocol or Therapeutic Brushing)
Therapeutic Listening
Sensory Integration (SI) Dysfunction is the inability to process information received through the senses of taste, touch, smell, vision, and hearing, as well as through balance and movement (vestibular) and body position (proprioceptive). Most of us are able to take in information about our environment through our senses, organize the information, and formulate a skilled and purposeful response. When a child displays poor coordination, difficulty completing routine tasks and/or disruptive behavior, it may be that he or she is unable to effectively process sensory information.
Thera Pressure is a program designed by Patricia Wilbarger, M.Ed., OTR, FAOTA, an internationally recognized expert who specializes in the assessment and treatment of sensory defensiveness. It is a program that uses deep-touch (pressure) along with a Sensory Diet in order to help children with a variety of sensory issues including sensory defensiveness. The Occupational Therapists at NSMC North Shore Children's Hospital are trained to use this program.
Therapeutic Listening is a highly specialized program that uses modified music heard through specialized headphones. This program can help a child with issues such as auditory defensiveness, sensory modulation, hypersensitivities, overall organization and attachment issues.
