Pediatric physiotherapists, or physical therapists in the USA, work with infants, children and adolescents typically, from birth to 21 years of age. When we work with infants and small children, it generally feels like a play situation. We observe how your infant or child lays, sits or stands and how they move. We can see a lot from these observations - their strength, muscle tone, balance, coordination, and the planning of their movements. If we suspect something while observing, we look into more detail by testing the extent of their movements, how your child feels things and more specific tests. In pediatrics we use standardized tests to compare your infant or child to norms established in the test. We can therefore tell you your child's motor age in walking, balance, coordination etc. At the end of the session, we sit together and talk about the findings, goals and planning for treatment. Treatment suggestions are generally play activities, positioning or carrying suggestions that fit into your daily routines rather than exercises per say. We often find ways to make the activity like crawling , rolling or walking easier, so your infant can practice by themselves. As I mentioned in another blog, practice time is very important. Infants learning to crawl practice 5 hours/day. We measure how we are doing as we go along, so you always know how we are doing and when you won't need any more help from your PT. If you are in the Montreal area and need a pediatric physiotherapist email me at janethale@pacephysio.com or visit my website to find out all about Dr. Janet Hale and PACE Physio www.pacephysio.com
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