Pediatric Occupational Therapy

Helping kids be kids through play activities that improve motor skills, learning and social interactions

RUSH Kids Pediatric Therapy is all about kids and helping them grow up great.

If you’ve found this page, you may be asking yourself if your child needs occupational therapy, or OT. Or maybe you’ve noticed some delay in how your child communicates or interacts with others. These are some of the common reasons many parents come to us.

Our focus with pediatric occupational therapy is to help children reach their highest potential in all things – school, activities and daily life skills. Our goal is to help them learn and feel a sense of being part of the world around them.

Here at RUSH Kids, our occupational therapists are experts in using the most effective methods to evaluate each child’s need. We look at specific areas of a child’s development – motor skills, visual and sensory skills, aptitude and speech – to determine the appropriate treatment.

In partnership with you and what you’re hoping for with your child’s care, we’ll talk about your family’s goals and priorities. This is part of our assessment in planning your child’s care. Through conversation and evaluation of skill levels, we’ll develop your child’s OT plan of care. This personalized approach allows our therapists to plan the right care solutions. In giving the right care, we’ll help maximize your child’s independence in play, learning and daily living tasks.

Our occupational therapy program can benefit:

• Attention deficit disorders (ADD) — a deficit in attention or distraction that can cause problems with organization, focus, following instruction and completing tasks
• Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) — a condition related to brain development that causes difficulties with social communication, personal interactions, behavior and uncontrolled movement
• Cerebral palsy (CP) — a disorder from infancy to early childhood that affects a body movement, muscle coordination or posture
• Fine motor skill delays — difficulty in using small muscle groups, like lips, tongue and fingers, due to eye-hand coordination
• Genetic disorders — affecting genes or chromosomes and resulting in syndromes like Down syndrome (developmental and intellectual delays), cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophies (muscle mass and weakness)
• Oral aversion and feeding skills
• Orthotic and adaptive equipment
• Poor posture and body mechanics
• Sensory self-regulation — ability to respond and behave appropriately across environments
• Upper extremity strength and endurance (arm, wrist, hand)