Idiopathic Toe Walking and Bracing by Andy Albrecht, DPT, PCS Kids Place Central Clinic Manager Idiopathic toe walking has long been a diagnosis pediatric physical therapists have difficulty treating. On the surface, it seems straight forward. A child has tight gastrocs (calves) and therefore walks on her tippy toes. By stretching out the calves, the…
Ask a PT: “What Sport Should my Child Play?” by Nicole Campbell, PT, DPT Kids Place West Pediatric Physical Therapist Often, as pediatric physical therapists, we are asked which sport we recommend. The answer is simply – ANY! Every sport has benefits, some different than others. Swimming is a low impact sport that improves strength,…
Play Ball – Using a Therapy Ball Therapeutically by Andy Albrecht, DPT, PCS Kids Place Central Clinic Manager Of the many pieces of equipment used on a daily basis as a pediatric physical therapist, one of my absolute favorites is the therapy ball. Not only is the ball fun and exciting for kiddos to use,…
Torticollis, literally translating to ‘wry neck,’ is a condition in which a child’s neck is typically flexed or bent in one direction and rotated in the other direction. This is due to a muscle in the neck, called the sternocleidomastoid, which has become shortened, strained, or weakened. This results in an abnormal posture of the…
Summer Activities for Children to Prevent Skills Lapse By Sarah Koppenhoefer-Little, OTR/L Kids Place West Pediatric Occupational Therapist With summer fast approaching, it is natural for parents to be concerned their child will lose hard-gained skills from the school year. To prevent this, here are fun, creative ideas to slow or stop the loss, but still not…
Adaptive Sports for Children with Disabilities By Khristian Morrell, Student Physical Therapist Obesity across our nation has become an alarming health risk over the past generation. Unfortunately, individuals with disabilities are at a particularly higher risk for this, as they are less likely to participate in organized sports and activities. In addition to decreased participation,…
Activities to Assist Your Child with Buttoning by Sarah Koppenhoefer-Little, OTR/L Kids Place West Pediatric Occupational Therapist The ability to button and manipulate clothing fasteners is a significant self-care skill most parents want their child to learn. This is an important task children need to have independence with dressing. The typical child will learn to…
Understanding Speech Sound Disorders Kids Place West Speech Language Pathologists Speech sound disorders are what the pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist is most well-known for treating. There is the classic case of a child who says “wabbit” instead of rabbit,” or the child who lisps. But what exactly are speech sound disorders? Let’s talk about the basics…
Which Hand Will My Child Use? by Kids Place Occupational Therapists Are you a righty or a lefty? 9 out of 10 of you will be right handed while one of you is either left handed or ambidextrous. Your dominant hand is determined in utero, but it takes several years of motor learning and experience…
Parentese: What Is It and Why You Should Do It By Nicole Overy, MS, CFY-SLP Kids Place West Speech-Language Pathologist When you talk to a baby, you’ll likely use a high-pitched voice, draw out your vowels, and speak with a musical prosody. You’ll probably face the baby directly and use exaggerated facial expressions. This way…
