Children At Play

Physical Therapy

Children At Play provides pediatric physical therapy evaluations and therapy either at our state of the art center, in our preschool or at your home or community site. Our specialty is in promoting the gross motor growth and development of young children ranging in ages from birth to five years old. We use an individualized approach with every child. As partners in your child’s progress, parent participation is encouraged. Our physical therapists collaborate with families during the therapy sessions. Together, the therapists and parents develop ideas and plan activities which carry over into the daily routines of their child.

Physical Therapy

Children At Play provides pediatric physical therapy evaluations and therapy either at our state of the art center, in our preschool or at your home or community site. Our specialty is in promoting the gross motor growth and development of young children ranging in ages from birth to five years old. We use an individualized approach with every child. As partners in your child’s progress, parent participation is encouraged. Our physical therapists collaborate with families during the therapy sessions. Together, the therapists and parents develop ideas and plan activities which carry over into the daily routines of their child.

Who Are Physical Therapists?

Our Physical therapists (PTs) are NY State licensed and certified professionals who specialize in the treatment of young children ages birth to five years old. They work to improve the child’s strength, flexibility, balance, coordination and motor planning. The goals of our physical therapists are to help improve a child’s mobility and independence and provide the family with the tools and knowledge that they need to facilitate their child’s motor development. Through active play, our physical therapists engage the child in exercises and activities designed to enable the child to crawl, walk or run and jump and play safely and skillfully within their surroundings.

Why Would A Child Need Physical Therapy?

Some infants, toddlers and young children struggle to move their bodies in coordinated ways and learn motor skills. Physical Therapy focuses on helping these children to meet their gross motor milestones such as rolling, sitting, crawling, standing, walking, jumping and running.

Whether the failure to meet the developmental gross motor milestones is attributed to a medical and/or orthopedic diagnosis or to a developmental immaturity, all of these children can benefit from structured therapy activities. Physical Therapy aims to increase strength and flexibility, improve posture, balance and mobility, manage abnormal muscle tone, enhance coordination and endurance, and promote gross motor development.

Our hope is that through physical therapy a child will become more independent with the ability to move and participate in daily life activities whether it be sitting to read a book with Mom or Dad, crawling across the family room floor, walking up and down the stairs, riding a tricycle or playing in the local park. By addressing developmental challenges as early as possible, infants, toddlers and young children have the best chance of reaching their full potential.

What Will Pediatric Physical Therapy Sessions Be Like?

Children learn by playing. During physical therapy sessions the physical therapist will actively engage each child in play activities that will exercise their muscles, develop their endurance, flexibility, coordination and balance. The physical therapist will use a child’s natural curiosity and desire to explore their surroundings to improve the way they move their bodies. These activities help a child so they can play, walk, and run with their family and friends.