Pediatric rehabilitation
Speech, occupational and physical therapies for children
Your child and family are our therapy team’s priority. We work closely with other teams at the children’s hospital so your child gets the best treatment possible. Innovative, leading-edge treatments help your little one get back to being a kid.
Our therapists work with children addressing developmental and acute diagnoses and, if your child is admitted to the hospital, our support keeps going. We'll teach you how to continue to help your child progress when they get home.
Whether your child’s needs are common or complex, our therapists are here to help. Children of all abilities gain confidence and independence through tools which may include:
- Balance manager®
- Caregiver observation rooms
- Handwriting Without Tears
- Large gymnasium
- Outdoor play deck
- Sensory room with specialized swings
- The Alert Program® – “How Does Your Engine Run?”
- Therapeutic ball pit
- Ultrasound
When to consider pediatric rehabilitation services for your child
Your child may benefit from meeting with one of our team members if they are struggling with:
- Meeting developmental milestones
- Difficulty with handwriting or other school-based activities
- Difficulty keeping up with peers
- Emotional regulation
- Sensory integration dysfunction
- Feeding
Talk to your child's pediatrician about how therapy services can help them overcome these hurdles and live their life to the fullest.
Get started with pediatric rehabilitation today
Schedule an appointment by calling 570-271-5314.
Referring physicians may fax referrals to 570-271-7963.
Pediatric rehabilitation services at Geisinger
With a dedicated team of pediatric specialists, we manage and treat a wide range of cases – from common to complex. Your child’s needs will be evaluated thoroughly, and we’ll create a personalized plan with the right treatments to help them reach their greatest potential.
Sitting. Walking. Running. Jumping. We want your child to do it all. Our pediatric physical therapists can help your child gain physical ability — and the independence that comes with it. One-on-one fun and interactive exercises and activities make your child's treatment unique to them. Here they can work on lifelong motor skills, including developmental milestones such as rolling, crawling, sitting, crawling, walking, jumping, playground skills and peer-related activities.
Conditions we can help your child with:
- Balance disorders
- Brain injury and post-concussion syndrome
- Cerebral palsy and other neurological conditions
- Coordination disorder
- Developmental delays
- Lower body muscular, bone and joint injuries and disorders
- Motor learning
- Neck and head shape disorders (plagiocephaly)
- Pediatric stroke
- Prematurity
- Spinal cord injury
- Toe walking
- Post-musculoskeletal surgery
We also offer specialty multidisciplinary clinics alongside neurosurgery, generics, orthopaedics and nutrition in Myelomeningocele, Growth and Development, Myelomeningocele and Down Syndrome.
Physical therapy may focus on:
- Body-weight supported treadmill training
- Developmental and age-appropriate skills
- Therapeutic taping with Kinesio® Taping
- Motor learning and movement coordination
- Neonatal massage
- Preoperative surgical education
- Seating and positioning equipment needs
- Strengthening and conditioning programs
- Weight-management exercise programs
Our pediatric occupational therapists use fun activities and meaningful ways to improve your child’s daily activities. Playing keeps them engaged while teaching skills to do daily functional tasks, such as dressing, eating or handwriting. Your family is key to the occupational therapy process. We’ll help you learn how to work your child’s program into your daily routine at home.
Conditions we can help your child with:
- Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- Brain injury
- Brachial plexus injury
- Cerebral palsy and other neurological conditions
- Coordination disorder
- Sensory processing disorder (SPD) and sensory integration dysfunction
- Difficulty with activities of daily living (e.g., hygiene, dressing, self-feeding)
- Delays in achieving developmental milestones and fine motor skills
- Pediatric stroke
- Prematurity
- Spinal cord injury
- Upper body muscle, bone and joint injuries and disorders
- Handwriting
We also offer Specialty Clinics for Growth and Development, Myelomeningocele and Down Syndrome.
Occupational therapy may focus on:
- Adaptive equipment
- Developmental and age-appropriate activities
- Handwriting Without Tears®
- Therapeutic taping with Kinesio® Taping
- Neonatal touch and massage
- Preoperative surgical education
- Seating and positioning equipment
- Splints
- The Alert Program®
Does your child struggle with communicating or swallowing? Our pediatric speech-language pathologists can help. After a thorough evaluation, your child will get an individualized treatment plan. We'll help your child reach their maximum potential while supporting your family in a comfortable, child-centered environment.
Conditions we can help your child with:
- Apraxia of speech (motor speech disorder that makes it difficult to clearly pronounce syllables and words)
- Articulation disorders
- Cleft lip/palate
- Cognitive disorders/brain injury
- Fluency/stuttering
- Hearing impairment (cochlear implants or hearing aids)
- Phonological disorders
- Pragmatic/social language disorders
- Receptive and expressive language disorders
- Swallowing disorders (dysphagia)
Speech therapy may focus on:
- Cleft lip/palate feeding education
- Cochlear implants or hearing aids
- Speech and language developmental milestones
Feeding difficulties can be difficult to overcome, particularly if they aren't treated right away. The sooner the issue is identified and treated, the more successful your child can be.
Our pediatric feeding clinic's team includes occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists and registered dietitians. They work together to evaluate your child’s condition and teach you how to better support your child at home.
Conditions we can help your child with:
- Behavioral problems
- Choking
- Food refusal
- Gagging with or without foods
- Gastroesophageal reflux
- Inadequate or slow weight gain
- Lack of oral feeding experiences
- Lack of progress with new foods or different textures
- Limited or poor eating
- Mouth sensitivity
- Oral motor delays, including chewing difficulties
- Picky eating
- Pocketing of foods in cheeks
- Problems with swallowing, coughing, choking or gagging with eating
- Prolonged gastrostomy tube (G-tube) use
- Sensory problems (difficulty with sight, sound, taste, touch or smell)
- Swallowing disorders (dysphagia)
Your child's treatment in the feeding clinic may focus on:
- Behavioral modification
- Developing individualized outpatient and home programs
- Progress through new food acceptance
- Sensory intervention, including messy play
- Trying appropriate bottle systems and feeding equipment
- Videofluoroscopy swallow study
