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Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists provide evaluation and treatment services with the overall goal of facilitating development, enhancing function and maximizing independence in all daily life activities. For children, the word “occupation” refers to play, self-care, school work and other activities that occupy a child’s day. Valley Children’s occupational therapists work with patients who have impaired abilities and function from either temporary or permanent symptoms or delays resulting from disease, injury, prematurity, or birth defects.

Conditions Treated

  • Oral motor/feeding problems
  • Developmental delays
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Infants with history of prematurity
  • Cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders 
  • Neuromuscular diseases
  • Brachial plexus injuries
  • Traumatic hand injuries
  • Congenital hand anomalies
  • Upper extremity incoordination
  • Upper extremity strength or range of motion deficits
  • Sensory processing dysfunction
  • Visual perception and visual motor impairments
  • Chromosomal abnormalities
  • Auto-immune disorders
  • Rheumatological conditions
  • Limb deficiencies

Services Offered 

Occupational therapy is available to inpatients in critical care (NICU and PICU), acute care and the rehabilitation unit within the hospital. Outpatient services are provided at the Outpatient Therapy Center.

Our occupational therapists work with the patient and family to create a customized program to address their unique needs. The therapy process begins with an initial evaluation to assess the child’s current level of function, strengths and areas of concern.

  • Evaluation
    • Assess oral motor/sensory/behavioral aspect of feeding, self-care skills, fine and gross motor skills, functional mobility, sensory processing, visual-motor skills, praxis, range of motion, strength and cognition
    • Assess the need for adaptive equipment to improve function
    • Assess the need for orthotics to improve position or function
  • Treatment
    • Therapy services provided in our fully equipped gym and treatment rooms with the goal of achieving optimal age-appropriate skills needed to perform daily activities at home, school and within the community
    • Fabrication of splints to alleviate pain, prevent deformity, improve function, increase range or protect surgical repair
    • Utilize/fabricate adaptive devices/equipment  to improve function
    • Patient and parent education
  • Spasticity Management – our occupational therapists work collaboratively with the pediatric physiatrists and neurologists in providing functional information to aid in their assessment of the child’s potential for improvement with pharmaceutical intervention including:
    • Botox Injections
    • Intrathecal Baclofen Pump

Expertise 

Valley Children’s occupational therapy service offers expertise for a diverse pediatric population of varying ages and diagnoses. The success of therapy is heightened by our therapists who have specialized training in pediatrics and are committed to serving infants, children and older adolescents. 

Our Inpatient Rehabilitation Center is accredited as a pediatric specialty program by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). Valley Children's is one of only two pediatric facilities in the state with this impressive designation, and one of only five on the West Coast.

Multidisciplinary Clinics

  • Rehabilitation Follow-up
  • High-Risk Infant Follow-up 
  • Feeding Team
  • Child Amputee 
  • MDA/Neuromuscular Disease
  • Rheumatology

Contact us

For more information about Valley Children's occupational therapy services, contact:

Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy
559-353-6800