Motor Milestones Therapy

We treat children of all ages who are behind their peers in developing their gross and fine motor skills. Examples of gross motor skills include jumping, walking, climbing stairs, and sitting independently. Examples of fine motor skills include manipulating toys and clothing fasteners, coloring, using scissors and utensils. To see if your child may be a candidate for our program, please review our Gross Motor Skills by Age chart and Fine Motor Skills by Age chart.

We address the needs of children who have concerns with gross and fine motor skills stemming from known conditions, such as cerebral palsy. We also treat children who may be otherwise healthy but are struggling to achieve common milestones.

Our physical and occupational therapists are closely integrated into the rest of the hospital’s specialties, improving care coordination between providers. Our physical and occupational therapists also have access to a range of therapeutic staff and equipment.

Approach

During our 60-minute evaluation, a physical therapist or occupational therapist will review the child’s health history with the parents, and they will complete an evaluation of the child’s strength, flexibility and range of motion to help determine the cause of the delayed milestones. The therapist will speak with the parents to discuss areas of particular concern.

After a review of the child’s mobility in a variety of positions and activities, the therapist will work with the family to develop a plan for therapy and frequency, if therapy is indeed recommended. The therapist will work with the family to set short-term and long-term goals.

Family members are encouraged to attend the therapy sessions so that they can learn the techniques. Therapists use the treatment sessions as coaching sessions for the parents because “practicing” the therapeutic techniques at home often helps children more than individual therapy sessions. Therapists will also work with families to determine what activities are realistic for them to use at home and can be easily worked into regular playtime.

After each visit, our therapists will complete an evaluation to assess where progress has been made, and where improvement is still needed. With parental permission, therapists are also happy to contact a child’s school to see if there are any other areas of improvement needed.

Make an Appointment

Our services can only be accessed with a referral. Once receiving a referral from a physician, families can make an appointment for a physical therapy and/or occupational therapy evaluation by calling 1.800.543.7362 (1.800.KIDS DOC). Please bring your referral/authorization to your first appointment.

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