Pediatric Physical Therapy
What is Pediatric Physical Therapy?
- Many infants and children with positional preferences (Torticollis, Plagiocephaly), gross motor delay (rolling, crawling, walking), mobility limitations (tightness, weakness, poor balance), or injuries struggle to meet milestones or keep up with their peers during play. Physical therapy can help build strength and movement patterns to get your child back to doing what they do best: playing!
- At TEAM 4 Kids, we truly understand and can help your child. We take a personalized approach to getting to know you and your child so we can best suit your child’s needs. We offer assessments and solutions to identify and treat the difficulties you are experiencing.
- The assessment process begins with an all-inclusive examination of your child’s development and your concerns. Based on our assessment, we recommend and offer specific therapeutic solutions proven to improve a child’s mobility, strength and endurance, and posture and balance.
- Therapy sessions are designed to look like play. This is how children learn best! They will look forward to each session as they learn and develop skills through play. TEAM 4 Kids, with its physical therapy team, aims at fully developing their gross motor skills and supporting their best growth.
Does your child need physical therapy?
- If your child is behind in acquiring the motor skills that other children their age are comfortable with, it is a good idea to consult with a Pediatric Physical Therapist. At TEAM 4 Kids, our pediatric physical therapists help children accomplish their highest motor potential through play activities. Whether it’s crawling, rolling, running, walking up stairs, kicking a ball, or balancing, our physical therapists help children reach their maximum potential in movement. Check out our milestones chart to see if your child is on track!
- Does your baby prefer to only look in one direction or feed to only one side? Do they struggle to turn their head both ways or have a flat spot developing on one side of their head? Is tummy time a daily struggle? If so, the Physical Therapy department at T.E.A.M 4 Kids can help! We have years of experience working with infants to build solid and necessary foundational skills for all the learning and moving that will come in their future. Daily, we work with infants who struggle with tummy time, only look in one direction, have difficulty lifting and turning their head, or feel stiff and uncomfortable. If you have concerns about your infant’s development, the sooner you are seen, the better.
- Physical therapists at TEAM 4 Kids are highly skilled in, but not limited to, treating common conditions such as torticollis, toe walking, gross motor delays, core strength, developmental milestones, bike riding, adaptive mobility and equipment needs, and much more.
- Our Patient Care Coordinators will walk you through every step of the process to schedule an evaluation. Many insurances do not require a referral for an evaluation. Call us to find out what you need to start today!
TEAM 4 Kids – Providing the Best Physical Therapy in the West Valley.
TEAM 4 Kids aims to help children become active and strong! By customizing our pediatric physical therapy to suit each child’s particular needs, we offer comprehensive solutions to diverse physical ailments and delays. Our team consists of Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Feeding Therapists, Behavior Analysts, and Physical Therapists. We are committed to collaborating and helping every parent improve their child’s abilities and overall growth. We are committed to helping every parent improve their child’s motor potential and overall physical development.
Interested in our groups or classes?
Infant/Toddler Development Classes
We have a variety of groups that involve parent-child interactions. These groups work on developmental skills such as socialization and gross motor development which includes rolling, sitting, crawling, and walking.
Our fitness groups are an energy-filled way to work on gross motor skills through play in a peer environment. They involve a variety of physical activities, such as running, jumping, coordination, balance, and ball skills.
My child was born on time and does not have any medical complications but things just seem harder, what should I do?
As a parent, you are the expert on your child (whether you feel that way or not!). If your baby is struggling, we want to help. A baby’s brain is a sponge, so the sooner treatment begins, the better. Changes can usually start to be seen in a few short sessions. If you have a concern, call us to schedule a complimentary screening or an evaluation for your child.
What are some common diagnoses you treat?
PTs treat a wide variety of diagnoses, such as torticollis, premature birth, Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, a chromosomal anomaly, toe walking, delayed milestones, acute injuries, spina bifida, stroke, scoliosis, post-surgery, and sports injuries. These are some of the most common.
What age groups do you service?
Our PTs treat newborns to young adults.
How long are therapy sessions?
What are the milestones that my child should be meeting?
- All children develop at a different pace, but most kids should meet major motor milestones around the same age. Below are some of the most common gross motor milestones and the age range when children typically master these skills.
- 0-2 months – Bends and straightens arms and legs alternately and together, bears weight through legs when held in standing, turns head toward voices, tracks people or objects when on stomach, elevates head 45 degrees, and turns head from side to side.
- 3-5 months – Has good head control in all positions, brings hands to midline, grabs feet with hands, brings feet to mouth for play, rolls from back to sides, begins to balance in sitting using arms to prop.
- 6-8 months – Reaches for toys when on stomach, rolls from back to stomach, belly crawls, sits unsupported and can reach for/play with toys without falling, catches self when falling out of sitting.
- 9-11 months – Crawls on hands and knees, pulls to standing at furniture, lowers from standing safely, stands for a few seconds without support, gets self into sitting from lying down.
- 12-14 months – Walks short distances without assistance, squats to pick up a toy, returns to standing without support, crawls up steps, and rolls a ball back and forth with another person.
- 15-18 months – Crawls down steps safely, walking has matured, walks on gravel, grass, and hills without falling, walks up steps with support from an adult’s finger, walks backward a few steps, and throws a ball.
- 19-24 months – runs, jumps up, forward, and down, walks up steps without support from wall or rail, kicks a ball, throws a ball overhand and underhand.
- 25-36 months – Walks down steps without support, jumping skills of up, over, forward, and off objects progress to further distances and with improved coordination, running matures, catches a ball.
- 36-48 months – Performs steps without a rail placing only 1 foot on each step, stands on 1 foot, rides a tricycle, throwing skills mature and for further distances, hops on one foot, gallops, crosses a balance beam without stepping off.
- 48-60 months – Rides a bike with or without training wheels, dribbles a ball, hops on each foot several times, skips.
- 60-72 months – Performs hopscotch, jumping jacks and jump rope. Ball skills of catching, throwing, dribbling and kicking mature. Performs sit ups and push ups.
Do you provide written reports of my child’s progress?
What are your hours?
We are open at all locations Monday-Friday from 7:30am-6:00pm.
My child was a preemie and/or has a medical diagnosis, should I wait until they should be sitting or crawling but can’t?
Don’t wait! Neuroplasticity is a fancy term for the brain’s ability to change and make new connections over time. An infant’s brain is amazing! Even a brain with visible damage on an MRI can learn to make new pathways, and a young brain can ‘rewire’ much faster than even a kindergartener. Don’t wait for your infant to hit 6 months old and not be able to sit with their hands propping or for them to reach 10 months and not be able to crawl hands and knees. Each milestone leads to the next and is important for overall development. Movement often guides communication and early delays can snowball and effect the bigger picture of development.
Why would a baby need physical therapy?
Developmental milestones are tasks that children learn as they grow. Typically, babies reach these milestones naturally as they grow and mature. Sometimes, milestones do not come as naturally to a child. A parent may notice their baby has poor head control, isn’t grasping for toys, isn’t learning to roll, or isn’t starting to sit independently. A physical therapist can work hands-on with the child and the parent to teach them how to work with their baby daily to reach new goals. Some babies have delayed milestones with no underlying medical conditions. Other times, a baby may have a diagnosis such as torticollis, premature birth, Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, a chromosomal anomaly, or other medical conditions. Physical therapists are well-educated in development and movement.
My child has torticollis and prefers to only look one direction but they will be getting a reshaping helmet, that will ‘fix’ things, right?
Yes and no– a helmet can help correct the shape of your child’s head (plagiocephaly); however, there will likely still be an imbalance of neck muscle use, which will then affect movement and may lead to neglect of one side or patterns, which then prevent typical rolling or crawling. These are best addressed early, at even a few weeks, versus waiting until a child is 9 months or older and now has preferences and compensations that must be corrected.
How long does it take to get an appointment?
Our therapists are in such high demand. However, your flexibility will determine how quickly we can schedule the initial evaluation. We have been very successful at moving appointments to an earlier date once scheduled.
Will my insurance cover the cost of therapy?
We accept all insurance plans. Your insurance benefits will determine how much of your treatment is covered. We don’t want finances to get in the way of your child’s therapy needs. If you have concerns about the cost of care, call us to schedule a free screening so you can learn firsthand the benefits of therapy for your child.
How do I schedule an appointment?
Call one of our amazing Patient Care Coordinators at 1-800-376-3440 and they will be happy to answer any questions and get you scheduled.
What payment options do you accept?
We accept cash, card or check. We also accept Class Wallet.