Physical Therapy
Sensory Integration
Feeding Disorders An occupational therapist is able to evaluate each child individually and determine what the possible underlying cause to these problems may be.
Pediatric physical therapy focuses on the development or regaining of gross motor skills lost due to neurological insult, genetic disorder, injury, burn or other cause. Gross motor skills include activities such as head control, rolling, sitting, standing, crawling, walking, running, jumping, skipping, and throwing / kicking a ball. The child is individually evaluated to determine the underlying weaknesses or dysfunctions that are leading to functional deficits. These deficits may be due to abnormalities in muscle tone, coordination, trunk control/stability, weakness, and range of motion or other underlying causes.
Occupational Therapy
Pediatric occupational therapy focuses on the development or regaining of fine motor, visual perceptual, visual motor, self-help and/or sensory integration skills that have not yet developed or have been lost due to neurologic insult, genetic disorder, trauma/injury, or other causes. Delays in fine motor and visual perceptual/motor skills are evident in functional activities such as reaching for and grasping objects, handwriting, and scissor skills. Delays in self-help skills may be seen with difficulty feeding, dressing, and other self-help skills.
Sensory Integration refers to the body’s ability to receive, determine the most important, and appropriately respond to a variety of inputs received from all the sensory systems (touch, taste, hearing, vision, smell, etc). Symptoms of sensory integration problems include extreme avoidance of touch (especially to hands or mouth), excessive need for movement, wanting only certain types of foods, or wanting to be hugged tightly and wear tight clothing all the time; or they may not tolerate any clothing, especially bothersome are tags in pants and shirts or seams of socks.
Feeding problems can result from sensory processing delays, especially if a child graves only certain tastes or textures of foods. Feeding difficulties can also be due to decreased oral motor skills, which may include use of the tongue for manipulation of foods and use of a mature chewing pattern. Feeding concerns also include safe and efficient coordination of breathing and swallowing. Difficulty using a bottle, sippy cup or straw may also indicate delays in oral motor skills.
