Why Is Play Important for Child Development? We often hear parents ask, “What can I do with my child to help him or her grow and develop?” Now, if someone came to you and said, “Just play with your child” would you believe them? What Is Play? According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (2008),…
Addressing Knee Pain by Brooke Smith, PT, DPT AzOPT Clinical Co-Director The knee is a very mobile structure that relies on surrounding muscles, tendons, and ligaments as well as the joints above and below to provide stability. When those joints are not working properly – that is to say they are either not as flexible…
Pediatric Feeding Disorders by Jacque Kujath, M.S. CCC-SLP Kids Place Central Speech Language Pathologist Our amazing team of speech-language pathologists are qualified to treat a variety of speech and language deficits including expressive and receptive language delays, articulation skills, and phonological skills. Did you know they are also qualified to evaluate and treat pediatric feeding…
What Can You Do About Nagging Heel Pain? by Drew Satterfield, PT, DPT AzOPT Gilbert Clinic Manager Heel pain is one of the more aggravating injuries for those of us who are on their feet for most of the day. At its worst, it prevents us from accomplishing our tasks throughout the day and keeps…
12 Effective Tips to Teach Your Child to Dress Themselves Dressing skills are a vital part of child development. Not only does learning to dress themselves help support children’s growing independence, but it also promotes the development of many other valuable skills including, but not limited to sequencing, motor coordination, balance, bilateral coordination, dexterity, attention,…
11 Practical Water Safety Tips for Kids It is about that time of year again when the temperatures outside are blazing hot in Arizona! In Arizona, this is the time of year temperatures begin to blaze and many families “escape the heat” by engaging in water play or swimming activities in pools, lakes, or local…
Benefits of Cardio Fitness for Children with Cerebral Palsy by Danielle Burke, PT, DPT Kids Place West Doctor of Physical Therapy Cerebral palsy is a complex neurological disorder affecting approximately 1.5 to 3.8 children per 1,000 births. Children diagnosed with cerebral palsy often present with developmental delays as a result of muscle weakness, impaired balance,…
Tips for Helping Your Child Tie Shoes How can you teach your child to tie shoes? Tying shoes is a complex self-care tasks that requires adequate visual motor skills, fine motor-coordination, task sequencing, and motor planning. Most kids learn to tie their shoes around age 6, but this can take longer due to the complexity…
Common Misperceptions About Physical Therapy By: Brooke Smith, DPT AzOPT Goodyear Clinic Manager Should you do physical therapy? There are many common misperceptions about what physical therapy entails. Let’s discuss a few common misperceptions and explain how physical therapy can help you get back to the activities you love, without pain! Myth #1: Physical therapy…
Using the Pool for Exercise during the Summer Are you wondering how you can use the pool for exercise this summer? One of the benefits of living in AZ in the summer, other than sweating off ten pounds of water weight, is our access to swimming pools and other forms of water activity to keep…
