Pediatric Rehab

Helping your child reach their greatest potential

Our pediatric rehab team of board-certified occupational therapists, physical therapists and speech therapists is here to help your child be as independent as possible. Pediatric rehab is one part of our rehabilitation services, which also includes adult physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.

What does the pediatric rehab team do?

Our team is able to care for a wide-range of ages, from newborns to adolescents. They do this by providing comprehensive evaluations and interventions in all areas of daily living. They are also trained in a variety of standardized assessments that can help you to better understand you child.

What’s it like to work with the pediatric team?

Our team of therapists enjoy working alongside one another and your family every step of the way in order to offer the most comprehensive care to your child. This may include individual sessions or group work with multiple therapists. Each therapist will set up an individual plan and work with you on the goals that you have for your child. Our therapists are all trained to use play as a way to engage and work with your child. This leads to improved participation and outcomes and can help make sessions feel less clinical.

What can the pediatric team help with?

Occupational Therapy

• Feeding (oral motor and sensory processing approaches)
• Breastfeeding (sensory, positioning, latching)
• Sensory processing and behavioral regulation
• Fine and gross motor delays
• Bowl and bladder management
• Mental health (emotional regulation and attention)
• Visual processing deficits
• Orthopedics
• Delay in age appropriate ADL performance

Speech Therapy

• Expressive and receptive language delays, including communication devices
• Stuttering and fluency
• Cognitive delays
• Articulation and phonological disorders
• Feeding (oral motor and sensory processing approaches)
• Infant bottle feeding and breastfeeding (suck/swallow/breath, latching, position)
• Tongue/lip/buccal ties (evaluation of functional abilities)

Physical Therapy

• Neurological conditions (i.e. brain injury, CP, muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, spina bifida, tethered spinal cord, brachial plexus injury)
• Hypertonia and hypotonia
• Vestibular issues
• Pelvic floor issues
• Hip dysplasia and hip impingement
• Torticollis
• Balance and coordination
• Delayed gross motor milestones
• Plagiocephany and brachiocephaly
• Gait abnormalities (toe walking, in toeing, frequent falling, assessment for assistive device)

What does treatment look like?

Treatment can be broken into 3 steps:

1. A 60- to 90-minute initial assessment and treatment plan development
2. Appointments for 4 to 6 weeks
3. At-home activities and long-term recovery

Your child’s success will largely depend on your commitment to doing the at-home activities you are given to work on with your child. This will require some effort and dedication on your part, but the outcome is always worth it.

How do I know if my child needs a physical, occupational or speech therapist?

Is your child having difficulty participating in activities they enjoy or getting through their day? Are you concerned if they are meeting their developmental milestones? Are they struggling at school? Have you noticed them not being able to keep up with their peers or struggling with tasks that other children seem to just get? Our goal is for your child to be able to do the things they love and to be optimally functional in their daily activities. If you have any questions, call us at 218.249.6040.

Learn more about how our team works together to help kids.

Referral required for this service. If you need one, talk to your primary care provider.

To establish care with a St. Luke’s primary care provider, call 218.249.4000 or find a clinic near you.