When you’re a parent, your roles change quickly. One moment you’re a guardian, a cheerleader, advocate, or police officer. When it comes to your child’s health, you may find yourself in the role of a detective, especially if your child is not meeting developmental milestones as expected. 

A parent is in the best position to identify a possible problem and seek help. If your pediatrician has identified a developmental delay, congenital defect, or injury, Total Rehab Care can provide the help your child needs. They work with children who have autism, developmental delay, fine motor delay, cerebral palsy, sensory processing dysfunction, hemiplegia, and problems with motor coordination.

At Total Rehab Care, pediatric occupational therapists guide children from ages birth through fifteen years to help them learn new skills or regain function after an injury. Most people are familiar with occupational therapy for adults, which develops skills for the job of living. For children, occupational therapy focuses on skills for the job of playing.

How it works

Children begin their occupational therapy journey with an evaluation and weekly treatments. Total Rehab Care’s therapists develop an individualized plan for each child. Parents are involved from the first evaluation until discharge, with therapists instructing them on ways to be involved in the treatment, and encouraging the family to continue working on treatments at home.

The duration of the program depends on the goals and needs for each child. Individual sessions, which last from thirty to sixty minutes, focus on improving problem areas and helping children to function as independently as possible. Some children complete therapy goals in as little as eight weeks, while others will stay in the program for many years. Every thirty days our therapists reassess the child’s goals and make changes to continue moving the child forward.

Depending on the diagnosis, children spend time in therapy participating in a variety of activities. For example, drawing and handwriting help develop fine motor skills, while activities such as catching and tossing bean bags improve eye-hand coordination. Copying shapes from a chalkboard develops visual skills, while climbing up a suspended ladder strengthens muscles.

Children involved in therapy are learning through play, so it doesn’t feel as if they are working. Each play activity is designed to help the child develop motor skills, learn how to play and engage with others, or learn how to process things they encounter in their environment. Therapists always point out the positive and keep parents focused on how well their child is doing by building on each success.

Angela Crowder, a pediatric occupational therapist with Total Rehab Care, works with Ashley Leight

Anything for Ashley

Sandy Leight suspected that her two-year-old daughter Ashley was not reaching all the typical toddler milestones (stacking blocks or scribbling with crayons).  With help of an early intervention program offered by the Washington County Board of Education, Sandy’s suspicions were confirmed. Ashley had mild neuromotor abnormality and speech delays.

Starting at age three, Ashley and her mother embarked on a necessary, but demanding journey of therapy. “I was delayed in speech,” said Sandy. “I knew what Ashley needed, and I was certain I would stay on top of it.” Ashley started speech and occupational therapy at Total Rehab Care. By the time she was six years old, Ashley was involved in speech and occupational therapy at Total Rehab Care as well as visual therapy in New Market, Maryland.

By spring of 2008, the four-day-a-week therapy schedule ended. Today, Ashley stills sees the same occupational therapist as she did when she was three. Her therapist makes the most out of Ashley’s weekly meetings by incorporating her homework assignments into every session. Meanwhile, mom is now playing the role of superhero. She understands it has been a long, hard road for Ashley. By saving the money she makes working at her daughter’s school cafeteria, Sandy hopes to fly the family to Disney World.

For more information

Occupational therapy can help your child reach his or her maximum potential. Children are referred for occupational therapy from their primary care physician, who is kept abreast of children’s progress on a monthly basis. If you are concerned about your child’s development or school performance, please contact your pediatrician to discuss a referral to Total Rehab Care at Meritus Medical Center.

We accept all major insurance carriers as well as medical assistance from health programs in the state of Maryland. For more information about Total Rehab Care and the pediatric program or how this program might help your child, please call 301-714-4025.