Nemours Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation experts provide intensive medical, and rehabilitation services for children and adolescents through age 17 whose mobility and/or communication skills have been affected by disease or traumatic injury.
The goal of rehabilitation is to maximize your child’s ability to move, communicate, interact with people, and live as independently and pain free as possible. With that in mind, we provide a comprehensive program designed to teach your child and family all the necessary skills that will allow your child to return home and to the community with as much functionality and independence as possible.
Our program is supervised by physicians with special training and certification in the rehabilitation of children. These physicians work with rehabilitation nurses, therapists, psychologists, social workers, and educators within a family- and patient-centered environment.
Some conditions that may require intensive rehabilitative services include:
- traumatic brain injury (which is brain injury caused by a trauma, such as a car accident, fall, or gunshot wound)
- acquired brain injury (as in a stroke, brain tumor, or loss of oxygen to the brain)
- seizure disorder
- spinal cord injuries (including those resulting in ventilator dependency)
- amputation
- spina bifida
- burns
- encephalitis
- meningitis
- cerebral palsy
- neuromuscular disorders
- post-orthopedic surgeries
Each therapy plan is individualized to the child's needs – for example, we may start by providing services at the bedside and then, as your child’s tolerance increases, may move to the therapeutic gym area. We strive to encourage independence, provide support, and reacquaint the child and family with the everyday business of living and growing. Parents, siblings, and other concerned individuals are encouraged to observe and take part in the child's treatment program. They participate in education and support groups, counseling sessions, and family/team conferences.
Our team includes speech and communication therapists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists, as well as rehabilitation engineers. All have special expertise in pediatrics and rehabilitation of children of all ages. They all also have access to the latest information about your child’s medical management, evaluations, and progress through an electronic medical record that spans all disciplines.
Additionally, you can count on us to be with you every step of the way – from initial evaluations to pre-discharge planning to post-discharge follow-up. Among the services we offer are:
- Brain Injury Program
- Comprehensive Inpatient Program
- Day Program
- Outpatient Programs
Occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech language therapy, cognitive remediation, and neuropsychology are all offered as part of each program, depending on your child’s needs.
Rehabilitation Psychology
As a service to our division, the Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology programs provide psychological assessment and treatment for children who have had a catastrophic illness or injury or who were born with a disability (usually physical).
A team of highly trained child psychologists helps children who have a disability or chronic illness learn to cope with the extra demands of their medical condition while having a normal childhood. Psychologists also encourage children and their families to recognize children's achievements within the framework of their unique circumstances.
Our services include:
- neuropsychological evaluations for children and adolescents with neurological dysfunction resulting from traumatic brain injury, strokes, seizures, cerebral palsy, and spina bifida
- psychological evaluations for toddlers, children, and adolescents with congenital (present at birth) or acquired disability
- individual and family therapy for childhood survivors of traumatic injury or catastrophic illness
- individual and family therapy for toddlers, children, and adolescents with disabilities
- group therapy for adolescent survivors of catastrophic illness or injury
- support group for adolescents with amputations
- evaluation of medication effects impacting attention span and thinking
- parent consultation
- consultation to schools