Pediatric Rehabilitation
(309) 655-6961
Pediatric physical therapy Pediatric rehabilitation at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois is committed to providing rehabilitation services throughout the regions we serve.
We offer a team of occupational, physical, developmental, speech and feeding therapies that will provide comprehensive evaluation and treatment for newborns to young adults with a variety of diagnoses.
Our team provides a family-centered approach, including home programming and parent education as important parts of our services. We create an environment where children can learn the skills they need through creative play and clinical therapy.
Occupational Therapy
Pediatric occupational therapy promotes motor and sensory development for functional life skills.
Our team of therapists evaluate children in the areas of general development, fine motor skills, upper body function, vision-perception, sensory processing, hand-eye coordination, handwriting, motor planning, play skills and self-care skills such as eating, dressing and bathing when appropriate.
Occupational therapy also assesses the need for adaptive equipment or devices for positioning and seating. Water therapy in a warm pool is available when appropriate.
Physical Therapy
helps children progress through development by addressing strength, functional movement, coordination and balance issues through exercise and age-appropriate therapeutic play. Physical therapists work with the child’s medical team, school, community and caregivers to promote independence within their routine.
Physical therapy interventions include assisting with functional mobility, balance activities, strengthening, stretching, posture awareness, body mechanics, pain management, water therapy and family education. We provide orthotic evaluation, casting and splinting when warranted, as well as assessment and training for adaptive equipment.
Our goal is to empower children and families with techniques that focus on the child’s needs to achieve goals and encourage functional mobility.
Speech Pathology
Pediatric speech/language pathology
provides evaluation and treatment to children who demonstrate speech/language impairments due to a developmental delay, motor delay or injury.
The goal of speech/language therapy is to promote oral motor and communication skills development. Our team develops individualized goals to empower and support children throughout their care.
Speech/language pathology services may also include feeding therapy that aims to improve overall oral motor and swallowing functions for adequate intake of foods and liquids.
Feeding therapy may include normalization of sensory awareness for feeding, improvement of oral motor function, swallowing function or self-feeding development skills.
Speech/language pathologists also conduct swallow studies with other medical team members to verify swallow safety, identify appropriate diet levels and determine therapeutic needs.