Pediatric Rehabilitation in Los Angeles
Rehabilitation & therapy program for children
Adventist Health White Memorial offers families a comprehensive interdisciplinary
therapy program for children from birth through adolescence.
This program provides pediatric evaluation and treatment by an occupational therapist, speech therapist and physical therapist in the following areas:
- Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)
- Acute pediatric unit
- Pediatric intensive care unit (PICU)
- Outpatient pediatric rehabilitation/therapy services
- Cleft palate program
We provide the following skilled therapeutic services:
- Individual or group therapy
- Developmental evaluation and therapy
- Feeding evaluation and therapy
- Sensory integration evaluation and therapy
- Equipment, orthotic and splinting assessment
- Play therapy
- Cognitive and behavioral therapy
- Speech and language evaluation and therapy
- Bilingual therapy services
- Family education and training
- Aquatic therapy
Community services
We offer:
- Community referrals
- Coordination of services with Regional Center and California Children's Services
- Coordination of services with private companies, private payments, HMOs and Medi-Cal
Referrals may be made by parents, physicians, teachers or local state agencies. Care is medically prescribed and coordinated with the physician and other care group agencies. For more information or to schedule appointments, contact the pediatric rehabilitation/therapy program at (323) 260-5836.
What is pediatric physical therapy?
Pediatric physical therapy promotes independence, increases participation, enables motor development and function, improves strength, enhances learning opportunities, and eases caregiving.
A pediatric physical therapist's examination and evaluation may include:
- Muscle and joint function
- Mobility
- Strength and endurance
- Cardiopulmonary status
- Motor development
- Posture
- Balance and coordination
- Sensory and neuromotor development
- The use of and need for helpful equipment and technology, including wheel chairs and front-wheel walkers
- The need for orthotics and prosthetics
What is pediatric occupational therapy?
Pediatric occupational therapy practitioners work with children, youth and their families to promote active participation in activities or occupations that are meaningful to them.
Occupational therapy practitioners provide services by collaborating with other professionals to identify and meet the needs of children experiencing delays or challenges in development.
Our occupational therapists help kids by:
- Identifying and modifying or overcoming barriers that interfere with, restrict, or inhibit a child's functional performance
- Teaching and modeling skills and strategies to children and their families to extend therapeutic interventions
- Changing activities, materials and environmental conditions so children can participate under different conditions and in various environments
Pediatric physical therapists work in the outpatient pediatric rehabilitation clinic, pediatric inpatient acute unit, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and the cleft palate program.
For questions or to schedule an appointment with a pediatric physical therapist, please contact the pediatric rehabilitation program at (323) 260-5836.
Feeding evaluation & therapy
Pediatric occupational therapists at Adventist Health White Memorial specialize in feeding and swallowing, treating the many children — from newborns to school children — with feeding disorders.
Treatment plans are made in collaboration with the family according to the needs found in the results of the initial evaluation. A video fluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS) may be recommended.
Occupational therapy in the NICU
Neonatal occupational therapists possess extensive training and experience working with this special group of babies. Our therapists provide oral motor/feeding and developmental evaluation and treatment of premature and medically fragile infants.
- Oral motor/feeding therapy includes:
- Checking if oral feeding is safe for your baby safety of oral feeding
- Finding the optimal positioning for feeding your baby
- Suggesting feeding techniques to improve the quality of feeding by breast or bottle
- Working with your baby’s entire medical team to establish feeding schedules to support your baby’s health
NICU occupational therapy includes teaching and supporting parents in the safest and most efficient way to feed their fragile infant.
Developmental evaluations and treatments combine physical and developmental therapy. This includes hands-on treatment to affect muscle tone and movement patterns. Therapy also includes positioning your fragile baby to help them develop the best way possible.
Occupational therapists can also ease the transition from hospital to home. They offer parent education about both feeding and development.
For questions or to schedule an appointment with a pediatric physical therapist, please contact the pediatric rehabilitation program at (323) 260-5836.
Sensory integration evaluation & therapy
From the womb into adulthood, our neurological systems are developing and processing an overwhelming amount of sensory information every day. Our system must then interpret this information and make it ready to be used for specific purposes.
Proper intake and use of sensory input is critical to a child's development and the building of core, foundational skills.
Sensory integration activities are the lifeline to providing and conquering the necessary challenges so your child can get the most out of:
- Daily functioning
- Intellectual, social and emotional development
- Development of a positive self-esteem
- A mind and body that are ready for learning
- Positive interactions in the world around them
- The achievement of normal developmental milestones
Occupational therapy practitioners work in a variety of settings to address sensory needs of children and adults. Services may be provided in school, clinic, home or community settings.
Cleft lip & palate
Cleft lip and palate are gaps in the upper lip and palate (the bony plate at the roof of the mouth). They often occur together and are caused by incomplete closing of the two sides of the face in the developing embryo.
If left untreated, children with cleft lip and palate can suffer lifelong handicaps. These include severe facial deformities, chronic dental and hearing problems, malnutrition, and even social challenges.
The cleft palate program at Adventist Health White Memorial has served the community since 1980. We provide comprehensive evaluation and treatment for children from birth to 21 years, as well as adults. Our cleft palate program is approved by California Children's Services (CCS) for the child's total cleft palate care.
The program provides coordinated cleft team care at a single location, working side by side with a patient's pediatrician or primary care physician. We also accept all types of insurance, including CCS, Medi-Cal, HMOs, Regional Center funding and private insurance.
Services in our cleft palate program include:
- Plastic and reconstructive surgery
- Newborn nursery consultations
- Social services
- Comprehensive pediatric rehabilitation services
- Speech and language therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Feeding therapy
- Nutrition consultation
- Lactation consultation
- Physical therapy
- Otolaryngologist (ENT specialist)
- Audiology/ABR
- Dentistry/orthodontist
- Cleft palate continuum care
- Nasoendoscopy
Many children have problems with their speech. Sometimes a speech problem is caused by how the soft palate moves or a soft palate that is too short. With these children, the voice will sound very nasally. Sometimes it is because the soft palate and the muscles in the throat do not work together.
A nasoendoscopy may need to be done to see how the soft palate is working. This is a test that allows a doctor and speech pathologist to look at the soft palate and the back of the throat as your child speaks.
For questions or to schedule an appointment, please contact the cleft palate program at (323) 260-5750.
Or visit us at:
1803 Pennsylvania Ave.
2nd Floor Rainbow Center
Los Angeles, CA 90033