Sometimes, children experience challenges or delays in developing certain skills. Our specialists at Sentara give kids the tools they need to thrive at home, school and play.
Pediatric Therapy: Why Choose Sentara?
Our pediatric therapy programs offer personalized care when children struggle with learning, playing and communicating. Our program highlights include:
- Demonstrated expertise: Our licensed therapists have specialized training in occupational, physical and speech pathology therapy for children of all ages. Our team also includes Early Intervention Certified Therapists. Meet our experts.
- Community-based care: Your child can get care right away and close to home, with no need to wait. We offer pediatric services at Sentara Therapy Centers throughout Virginia and eastern North Carolina.
- Collaborative approach: We work with you and with other health professionals to develop the right care plan for your child's needs.
- Comprehensive specialty services: Sentara experts work together to provide autism classification and early intervention strategies. We also offer a pediatric wheelchair clinic to fit and assess adaptive mobility equipment for children.
Pediatric Therapy Treatments and Services
From screening and treatment to follow-up visits, our experts make sure your child gets the personalized care they need. We help your child improve their:
- Ability to do daily tasks (such as dressing and toileting)
- Communication skills
- Physical abilities
We also help your child feel more confident in social situations and at play. We offer:
Evaluation and screening
We catch emerging issues early with thorough evaluations and screenings. Our specialists get to know your child and your family to recommend personalized treatment.
Pediatric physical therapy
Physical activity is critical to a child's healthy development. Our specialists design individualized exercise programs to help your child build strength and coordination. Our therapies help improve:
- Balance
- Coordination
- Fine motor skills (such as eating and coloring)
- Gait (how your child walks)
- Gross motor skills (such as running and jumping)
- Posture
- Strength and endurance
Our physical therapy specialists use fun and engaging activities to help build independence. We use play to help your child become stronger and more confident. We also offer aquatic physical therapy to build strength and flexibility while supporting your child's weight.
Pediatric occupational therapy
We use occupational therapy techniques to help your child develop the skills they need for healthy and happy living. Our therapists provide personalized care designed to meet your child's needs. We help improve skills needed for:
- Fine motor tasks: Activities that use coordination and small muscle control, including activities like writing, cutting and drawing
- Organization: Planning tasks, managing school assignments and motor planning (remembering the steps in an activity)
- Self-care: Daily activities like eating, dressing and bathing
- Self-regulation: Managing reactions to sensory stimulation (such as sound, touch and smell)
Speech therapy for kids
Sometimes, children struggle with issues related to communicating, eating and drinking. Our speech and swallowing therapy specialists create exercises that help children express themselves and get appropriate nutrition. We offer:
- Articulation exercises: We show your child how to create specific sounds with their tongue.
- Augmentative communication: To build communications skills, our specialists use a range of strategies, including:
- American Sign Language
- Computers and tablets
- Nonspoken communications (facial expressions and hand gestures)
- Pictures, symbols and graphics
- Food texture therapy: Using foods with different textures, we help your child with eating and swallowing. We use SOS® Feeding Therapy to help children learn eating skills and to help families support them.
- Language skill building: We use play and games to practice language skills. Our specialists use the Wilson Reading System® to help children decode, recognize and comprehend words.
- Mouth muscle strengthening: Our therapists work with your child to make the jaw, lips and tongue stronger.
Conditions We Treat With Pediatric Therapy
We use therapy to treat conditions that affect children's ability to communicate, eat, play and learn. Among the conditions we treat are:
- Aphasia: A loss of the ability to speak, read or write due to brain injury
- Apraxia (or dyspraxia): An inability to move, gesture or make facial movements because of injury or illness in the brain
- Cognitive impairment: Trouble with thinking, remembering, concentrating or learning
- Dysphagia: Difficulty swallowing food or liquids, including saliva
- Sensory integration issues: Trouble with receiving and responding to information gathered through sight, smell, sound, taste and touch
Benefits of Therapy for Children
Rehabilitation therapy helps children develop the strength and skills they need to feel confident and independent. We help children:
- Build physical strength
- Communicate effectively
- Do daily self-care tasks
- Manage their feelings
Request an Appointment
Learn more about pediatric therapy at Sentara Therapy Centers. Visit our locations.