Physical Therapy

Pediatric physical therapy is concerned with the examination, evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis, and intervention of children, aged birth through adolescence, who are experiencing functional limitations or disability due to trauma, a disorder, or disease process.

We help children gain the strength, endurance, flexibility and skills necessary to sit, crawl, walk, run and play independently. For children who must rely on mobility aids such as wheelchairs, walkers, and orthotics, we teach these children how to use these aids effectively, while continuing to help them gain the strength, endurance and flexibility that they will need to one day walk independently.

Some of the diagnoses our Physical Therapists treat:
• Cerebral Palsy
• Torticollis
• Downs Syndrome
• Developmental Delay
• Prematurity
• Head Injury
• Physical Injury
• Intra-ventricular Hemorrhage
• Congenital Abnormalities

Some of the issues that our Physical Therapists address:
• Gross Motor Delays
• Decreased Coordination
• Poor Balance
• Toe Walking
• Hyper tonicity and Hypo tonicity
• Poor Muscle Strength

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy is a health and rehabilitation profession focused on helping people regain, develop and build skills that are important for independent functioning, health, well-being, security and happiness.

Pediatric Occupational Therapists, facilitate the acquisition of self-help, play, and learning skills for infants and children by improving their motor, sensory, behavioral and cognitive skills.

Pediatric Occupational Therapy helps children who:
• Experience difficulty with the performance of self-care activities including: brushing
  teeth, combing hair, buttoning a shirt, tying shoes, using utensils such as a spoon or
  fork, etc.
• Have difficulty with fine motor activities such as handwriting or using scissors.
• Have trouble initiating or completing tasks such as doing a puzzle or finishing home
  work.
• Experience problems in school with visual motor or visual perceptual activities such as
  copying from the board or completing assignments accurately.
• Exhibit an aversion to sensory input demonstrated by not wanting to participate in
  messy activities, not wanting to be hugged or touched, becoming very upset by loud
  noises, etc.
• Having difficulty maintaining balance during motor activities including climbing stairs,
  running, jumping or skipping.
• Have difficulty with cognitive tasks such as following instructions, problem solving and
  organization.
• Have difficulty in social situations including interacting and playing appropriately with
  other children.

The following are some of the conditions that we treat:
• Cerebral Palsy
• Decreased Muscle Control
• Tone Disorders
• Developmental Delays
• Downs Syndrome
• Sensory Integration

Speech & Language Therapy

Speech Therapy: The treatment of speech and communication disorders. The approach used depends on the disorder. It may include physical exercises to strengthen the muscles used in speech (oral-motor work), speech drills to improve clarity, or sound production practice to improve articulation.

The ability to communicate is essential to learning, playing, expressing who we are, interacting with the world around us and all of the people in it, and most importantly, it’s essential to getting what we want and need in our lives. Without effective communication, life can become very frustrating, confusing and even seem hopeless to a child. Being able to communicate effectively with the people around you, whether you’re using words, pictures, sign language or augmentative communication, makes this world a much friendlier place to be in. Our hope is that all children are given the ample opportunity to perfect some form of effective communication so that their lives can be happier and more fulfilling.

When concerns arise regarding a child’s ability to communicate, it is imperative that a thorough evaluation by a speech and language pathologist is performed as soon as possible. The earlier your child receives speech therapy, the earlier your child’s behavior will improve, the earlier your child’s self-esteem will improve, the earlier your child’s outlook on the world around him will be more positive, and the earlier he will be able to bridge the gap between his speech abilities and those of his peers.

Our Speech and Language Pathologists address a variety of communication disorders including:

• Sound Production (articulation)
• Receptive Language Skills (understanding and following directions)
• Expressive Language Skills (putting words together, naming objects, talking about
  events)
• Pragmatics ( eye-contact, social rules of conversation)
• Voice (quality, volume and pitch)
• Fluency (speed of speech and stuttering)
• Oral Motor Skills (how parts of the mouth move for speaking and eating)
• Feeding Skills

The following are some of the conditions that we treat:
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Cognitive / Memory Deficits
• Developmental Delays
• Downs Syndrome
• Dysfluency
• Learning Deficits
• Voice Disorders

**We treat processing disorders resulting from ADD / ADHD. We do not diagnose ADD or ADHD.

Feeding Therapy

Feeding and swallowing problems are most often associated with complex medical diagnoses (such as prematurity, reflux, complications secondary to tube feeding for extended periods of time, and disorders of the digestive system), anatomical or structural abnormalities (such as congenital diaphragmatic hernia or tracheo-esophagael fistula), allergies, or oral-motor dysfunction.

Early or delayed introduction of solid foods and active food refusal may cause behaviors that are unpleasant and stressful for a child and the family during meals.

The goal of dysphagia (feeding) therapy is to meet children’s needs not only by addressing their oral-motor, sensory, and dietary needs, but also by helping caregivers develop and implement an effective home-based feeding program. The frequency of treatment and disciplines involved are based on the child’s specific needs.

Feeding therapy helps infants, toddlers and children with a wide array of eating and feeding difficulties which may include one or more of the following:
• Reduced or limited intake
• Food refusal
• Food selectivity by type or texture
• Dysphasia (swallowing difficulty)
• Oral motor deficits
• Delayed feeding development
• Food or swallowing phobias
• Mealtime tantrums

Addressing feeding problems may be important for preventing or eliminating problems regarding nutrition and growth.

VitalStim Certified Therapists

The VitalStim Therapy is an FDA approved form of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) used as a therapeutic intervention for dysphagia. Through the use of electrical stimulation, we are able to target and stimulate specific muscles used during various phases of the swallow, to increase strength, coordination, and movement thereby improving swallowing function. When used in conjunction with traditional swallowing therapy, VitalStim enhances the speed of intervention by helping education/re-educate the necessary muscles used for swallowing, resulting in better outcomes than using either one alone.

Many of our clinicians are certified in VitalStim through specifically designed instruction with hands on training and completion of course curriculum of this technique.

Case Management

Case management is a process of assessment, planning, care coordination, evaluation, and advocacy for options and services to meet an individual’s and families comprehensive health needs. Responsibilities include needs assessment and reassessment, development of the service plan, identifying appropriate community resources, monitoring the appropriateness and quality of services, providing crisis intervention and advocacy, safeguarding individual rights, and keeping records.

Who is a case manager?

A Case Manager at First Steps Pediatric Therapy Specialists is a Social Worker licensed by the state of Texas; has a Bachelor or Master Degree in Social Work, and a minimum of 2 years experience assisting children and assessing the psychosocial and health needs of clients and their families and making community referrals.

Who can get a case manager?

Families with children (birth thru age 20) that:

• Need referrals to community resources

• Have family problems

• Have questions or concerns about their child’s well-being

What do case managers do?

A case manager will visit with you and then:
• Find out what services your family needs
• Help families find services in their community
• Teach you how to find and get other services
• Make sure you recieve services needed

What kind of help can one get?

Case managers can help you:
• Get medical and dental services
• Can help with Family problems
• Get medical supplies or equipment
• Work on school or education issues
• Assist with financial concerns
• Acquire referrals to community programs