Pediatric rehabilitation
After a serious injury or illness, children may need to regain strength and learn new ways of completing daily activities. They may benefit from physical therapy (for strength and mobility); occupational therapy (for relearning and adapting); and speech therapy (for language and communication).
Comprehensive pediatric therapy
Our program offers pediatric therapies to help your child improve and grow.
The Pediatric Therapy Program at Portsmouth Regional Hospital brings together experts from various disciplines to focus on supporting your child's development. We consider all aspects of their health when we create their personalized rehabilitative program.
Expert advice, available 24/7
Free health-related information is just a phone call away. Our nurses help you understand your symptoms, treatment options and procedures. They will also help you find a provider or specialist and schedule an appointment.
Free health-related information is just a phone call away. Our nurses help you understand your symptoms, treatment options and procedures. They will also help you find a provider or specialist and schedule an appointment.
Conditions we treat in pediatric rehabilitation
Our program addresses a range of diagnoses, disabilities and developmental delays, including:
- ADHD
- Anxiety
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Brachial plexus injury
- Brain and spine injuries
- Cephalic disorders
- Cerebral palsy
- Cerebrovascular accident (CVA)
- Childhood apraxia of speech
- Congenital anomalies
- Coordination disorders
- Developmental delay
- Dystonia disorders
- Developmental language disorder
- Feeding and swallowing disorders
- Fine and gross motor skill delay
- Genetic disorders
- Language disorder
- Muscle and neurological disorders
- Muscular dystrophy
- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Plagiocephaly
- Postural and orthopedic diagnoses
- Selective mutism
- Self-regulation issues
- Speech disorders
- Spinal cord injury
- Stuttering
- Torticollis
- Traumatic brain injury
- Urinary and fecal incontinence
- Voice and articulation disorders
- Voice disorders
Physical rehabilitation for children
We coordinate treatment with your child’s pediatrician to deliver continuity of care and communication.
Multidisciplinary pediatric rehabilitation
Your child's therapy will include diverse approaches tailored to meet their needs. Our experienced pediatric physical, occupational and speech therapists use a range of methods, such as:
- Bowen therapy — A technique to gently stretch the soft connective tissue in the body to promote muscle pain relief and alleviate related neurological conditions
- Infant-led feeding support method — An integrated approach to supporting oral feeding in preterm babies and infants with complex medical issues in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and after discharge
- Instruction in self-regulation — Treatment utilizing zones of regulation
- Sensory integration therapy — Targeted treatment for sensory integration disorders such as sensitivity to clothing, textures or sound, motor coordination issues, difficulties tolerating busy environments and body-in-space awareness
- Sensory-motor feeding therapy program — Program for assessing and treating children with feeding, weight and growth difficulties from birth to 19 years old, integrating posture, sensory, motor learning, medical and nutritional factors to evaluate and manage these problems comprehensively
- Social thinking — Treatment frameworks and strategies for developing competency in social cognitive thinking and social skills to respond appropriately to social information and participate in situational expectations
- Tactile-kinesthetic speech therapy technique — A multidimensional approach that integrates the physical-sensory aspects of motor production with the cognitive-linguistic and social-emotional aspects of language to develop motor skills within meaningful language interactions
- Warm water aquatic therapy — Addresses grooming, dressing and motor skills in a motivating environment and promotes participation in community programs and leisure skills
When appropriate, we may refer you to other specialists, such as ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctors, eye doctors, audiologists, neuropsychologists and educators.
As part of our continuum of personalized care, we educate your entire family and arrange consultations for community-based rehabilitation. If your child needs adaptive equipment or assistive technology, we help you identify it and train you to use it.
To make an appointment (a referral is required) or for more information, call (603) 433-4015.