Pediatric Rehab Services
There's nothing more important than a child's health. And, you'll agree children need the best services available.
Southcoast offers you a long-standing commitment and reputation for providing the best in pediatric rehabilitation services that include:
Therapists who specialize in children provide pediatric therapy services. The goals of these professionals are to assist them in developing to their highest potentials by allowing them to function better in school, in the home and the community.
For decades we've helped people overcome physical, developmental, social and emotional obstacles. Together we can develop personalized comprehensive assessment and treatment programs for children.
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Because early identification of hearing loss is critical for the development of normal speech and language skills, Audiology Services begin soon after the birth of a child.
For toddlers, play techniques are used to determine hearing status. During early childhood, common problems such as repeated middle ear infections can affect hearing. Audiologists can help to detect this type of hearing loss by "middle ear testing" which is part of all routine evaluations.
For the child age 7 or older, who shows no sign of hearing loss, but has difficulty in understanding spoken and written information, a Central Auditory Processing Evaluation (CAP) can be an important tool. Problems are often identified in the school setting. If processing skills are impaired, they can affect language, spelling, reading, and writing abilities.
Once a problem is identified our audiologists assist by offering strategies for the child and classroom teacher to improve academic success.
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Occupational Therapy helps children develop movement and balance skills essential for good posture, correct positioning to enable the child to read, write and use his hands skillfully, and to coordinate the two sides of his/her body.
It is also in the scope of occupational therapy to assist a child in developing good muscle tone, visual perceptual skills, and social and behavioral skills necessary for functioning in the school and the community.
Occupational Therapy helps to develop the underlying skills necessary for learning and performing specific tasks. It also helps to teach children self-help skills needed for dressing and feeding. Special equipment and Assistive devices to help a child function as independently as possible can be provided as well.
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Physical Therapists help children develop good gross motor skills such as holding one's head in midline, moving to sitting, rolling, crawling, from sit to stand and walking. It is also a goal of physical therapy to improve balance, agility, and posture.
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Communication is essential to learning, working and social interaction. Impaired communication affects every aspect of a child's world. A skilled speech-language pathologist can help assist in the development of language, as well as listening and attending skills.
These skills are necessary for learning the basic components of spelling, reading, writing, and comprehension of verbal and written instructions. As a child's method of communication improves, his/her world improves.
Who Needs Pediatric Therapy?
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Pediatric Therapy helps children of all ages who may show the following characteristics:
- Seems easily distractible, frustrated, or restless and has a short attention span.
- Seems overly sensitive to touch, movement, sights or sounds?
- Often trip or bump into things and/or appear clumsy?
- Have a poor sense of rhythm, balance or coordination?
- Have poor academic performance including phonics, reading or spelling?
- Have feeding and/or swallowing problems?
- Show difficulty with social interaction with caregiver or other children?
- Have hearing difficulties or responds inconsistently to sounds?
- Have difficulties holding a pencil or other utensils?
- Appear unable to understand common objects, actions, and/or simple directions?
- Refuse to talk with others?
- Have history of repeated ear infections?
- Have difficulty making transitions from one situation to another?
- Requests repetition of information?
- Possess an activity level that is unusually high or unusually low?
- Have an inability to unwind or calm self?
Locations
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Pediatric Rehabilitation Services are available at all three hospital sites. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact us.
Charlton Memorial Hospital
363 Highland Avenue
Fall River, MA 02740
508-679-7401
St. Luke's Hospital
101 Page Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
508-961-5460
Tobey Hospital
One Recovery Road
Wareham, MA 02571
508-291-3729
Other Southcoast Rehab Services
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Use the list below to select another Southcoast Rehab service.
