Pediatric Rehabilitation

Program Overview

Our comprehensive program creates a personalized treatment plan for each individual child with a wide range of diagnoses and medical complexities.  Each treatment plan is customized by the team based on the child’s individual needs with input from the family to create meaningful goals for both the child and the family.  We believe the child’s family and caregivers are an integral part of the team and strive to provide personalized education and support for them as well.  We provide a multidisciplinary team of Physicians, Nurses, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech-Language Pathologists, Case Managers, Social Workers, Teachers, Child Life Specialists, Vocational Counselors, Recreational Therapists, Rehabilitation Psychologists, Dietitians, and Specialty Physicians available by consult.

Team Roles

• Physician: Leads the rehabilitation process, evaluates, monitors, and treats conditions that affect function.  They diagnose and treat pain, work to restore maximum function lost through injury, illness or disabling conditions, treat the whole person, not just the problem area with non-surgical treatments.

• Nurse: One who specializes in assisting persons with disabilities and chronic illness to attain optimal function, health, and adapt to an altered lifestyle.

• Physical Therapist: Works to improve or adapt physical independence through the promotion of mobility, functional ability, quality of life and movement potential through examination, evaluation, diagnosis and physical intervention.

• Occupational Therapist: Works to improve or adapt motor, visual, cognitive, and sensory skills to promote independence with self-care and ADLs.

• Speech Language Pathologist: Works to improve or adapt cognitive impairments, language abilities, auditory processes, speech production, and swallowing problems.

• Case Manager: Coordinates appropriate resource utilization and communication between team members for discharge, to ensure that child and family have safe transportation to home and appropriate car seat when indicated, and to make appropriate home care, home infusion and durable medical equipment referrals for safe transition home.

• Social Worker: Collaborates with patient care teams to integrate the mission and core values of social work utilizing principles and standards to guide ethical decision-making. Social Workers' primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems.

• Teacher: Provides tutoring for school age children who are anticipated to be hospitalized for more than two weeks.  The academic activities are appropriate for the student’s grade and adapted for the child’s particular educational functioning.

• Child Life Specialist: The child life specialist helps relieve anxiety and stress associated with illness for the child and the family through education, play, and imagery.

• Vocational Counselor: Meets with patients who have concerns about returning to work or school, need assistance accessing community supports or have questions about disability benefits. The rehabilitation counselor evaluates the need for other services or connections with community resources such as local independent living centers, regional "One Stops", and state agencies such as ACCES-VR.

• Recreational Therapist: Reviews recreational and leisure interests in order to provide adaptations in order to return to them.  Also schedules community outings to transition back to the community.
  
• Rehabilitation Psychologists: Assists the individual and their family with an injury or illness which may be chronic, traumatic and/or congenital, in achieving optimal physical, psychological and interpersonal functioning.
  
• Dietitians: Supervise the preparation and service of food, develop modified diets, and educate individuals and groups on good nutritional habits.

Program Goals

• To enable each child to reach their fullest potential physically, cognitively, and functionally.
• To provide families with appropriate training and information to care for their child once transitioned home.
• To provide appropriate equipment for each child to optimize independence and safety.

Program Provisions and Expectations

• Each child will receive a minimum of 3 hours of combined Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and if indicated Speech Therapy, at least 5 days per week.
• Therapy is scheduled daily to prepare families for the next day.
• One on one and group educational sessions are available for families and caregivers of those with brain injuries.
• There is a variety of treatment areas available including a quiet speech therapy room, pediatric playroom, a large gym setting, or a smaller pediatric gym based on the child’s needs.

• Therapy goals are created in conjunction with the family, patient, and therapists.
• Family is welcome to attend therapy sessions, depending on the child’s participation.
• A family member is welcome and encouraged to stay with their child during their stay on the rehabilitation unit.

in our outpatient Pediatric Program.