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Rehabilitation Services
The physical, occupational and speech therapists of NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital work closely together to ensure children are able to achieve as normal lifestyle as possible. They provide care to children of all ages as outpatients and on virtually every inpatient unit, including the neonatal and pediatric intensive care units. Family involvement is encouraged so that parents can help to guide and support the child during the therapeutic process.
A major focus of physical therapy is on the care of children who have had surgery for an orthopedic condition and require training in the use of assistive devices such as crutches, walker or canes. Their goal is to help the child become more mobile and independent. They also work with families of premature infants to involve them in therapy to facilitate motor development as well as strength and control of their muscles. In particular, the department has earned an outstanding reputation for the care of babies with torticollis, a condition characterized by involuntary contractions of the neck muscles, and brachyoplexis injuries, which affect the shoulder and upper arm.
Our occupational therapists help children adapt to a disability or regain function to the best of their ability following an injury, illness or surgery. Often using play as a method of therapy, occupational therapists work with young babies to reach developmental milestones, and with toddlers and older children on activities of daily living, such as feeding and dressing skills. For children of school age, therapists focus on fine motor control to enhance their ability to write and to manage clothing that has fasteners, zippers or buttons. They also provide custom-made splints for all ages of children to maintain their upper extremities in a particular position, protect their joints or facilitate control of their hands.
In a unique collaborative program, occupational therapists work with the Hospital's speech therapists and gastrointestinal, pulmonary and medicine services to perform swallowing evaluations and facilitate safe feeding in children. Speech therapists are also available for children who need help with communication skills that are compromised by illness or injury.
