Pediatric Physical and Occupational Therapy
At Mount Sinai, our pediatric physical and occupational therapists have experience and expertise in treating children with a wide variety of diagnoses including orthopedic, neurologic, genetic, and cardiopulmonary conditions. With all of our patients, our clinicians focus on individualized and family-centered care that includes a full complement of exercise, modalities, and manual therapies to manage pain and maximize function and independence.
What We Do
Our teams are committed to supporting your child in developing the skills they need for a playful and active life. Whether recovering from an injury, managing a condition, or simply growing up, we're dedicated to making therapy a positive and empowering experience for our young patients.
We help children using innovative technology to gain greater independence in movement and function so they can improve their lives.
- Comprehensive evaluations and treatment interventions with pediatric specialized therapists
- Individualized 1-on-1 treatment sessions
- Use of adaptive technology to adjunct treatment interventions
- Communication with your child’s team including family members, medical doctors and healthcare professionals, social workers, and teachers and/or coaches
Physical Therapy
Physical therapists examine each child and develop a plan, using treatment techniques to promote the ability to move, reduce pain, restore function, prevent disability, and overall gain greater independence in movement and function.
Our physical therapists help kids learn or get back the skills they need to move their bodies for everyday things. This could mean helping babies learn to crawl so they can reach a favorite toy or teaching a child how to go up and down stairs again after a leg break from a fall.
We provide specialized physical therapy treatment interventions, including neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT) techniques, manual therapy, advanced technology, and evidence-based protocols, to the pediatric population (from birth to 17 years).
Common conditions we treat include (but not limited to):
- Orthopedic
- Toe walking and gait abnormalities
- Surgical post-operative
- Scoliosis
- Congenital and acquired amputations
- Neurologic
- Cerebral Palsy
- Hies
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Concussions
- Tbis
- Tumor/Cysts
- Ataxia
- Genetic
- Down Syndrome
- Fragile X
- Pradar-Willi
- Cardiopulmonary
- Congenital and idiopathic cardiac conditions
- Cystic fibrosis
- Post-covid/pots
- Global Developmental Delay
- Hypotonia
- Developmental coordination disorder
- Plagiocephaly
- Torticollis
- Pelvic Health
- Bowel and bladder disorders
Specialty Programs:
- Concussion Rehabilitation: thorough evaluations and treatment addressing vestibular, visual, exercise tolerance, balance, and other impairments, which may include the Buffalo Treadmill Test if indicated.
- Post-Covid/POTS Rehabilitation: progressive strengthening exercises to activate the sympathetic system, alternating with breathing exercises to activate the parasympathetic system.
- Therapy as Play Rehabilitation: utilizes adaptive gaming to increase time on task and increase repetitions which is key in neurological conditions
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapists evaluate each child and provide customized interventions to improve their ability to perform daily activities and function in the home, workplace, and community.
Conditions treated:
- Orthopedic
- Post-operative fractures
- S/P dislocations
- Neurologic
- Sensory processing disorder
- ADHD
- Cerebral palsy
- HIE
- Autism spectrum disorder
- TBIs
- Ataxia
- Seizure disorder
- Guillain-Barré
- Genetic
- Down syndrome
- Chromosomal abnormalities
- Feeding Difficulties:
- ARFID
- Dysphagia
- Sensory processing
- GT weaning
- Oral motor skills
- Transition from bottle to solid foods
- Cleft lip/palate
- Global Developmental Delays
- Hypotonia
- Developmental coordination disorder
- Fine motor delays
- Visual motor/visual perceptual concerns
- Infant prematurity
Specialty Programs
- Sensory Processing: Create individualized treatment plans based on the specific sensory needs of each patient and provide home and school-based sensory strategies for patients to improve participation in daily routines.
- Feeding Therapy: Target feeding aversions, sensory and oral motor concerns, medical complexities (Ex. GT weaning, dysphagia, cleft lip/palate)
- Therapy as Play/Therapeutic Adaptive Gaming