Pediatric Physical Therapy in Monroe & Ruston

Physical therapy is a proven, effective, and amazing tool to help your child move independently and comfortably. We focus on increasing strength and mobility of children of all ages, working towards developmental milestones, and helping children who are adapting to assistive devices like orthotics, wheelchairs, or walkers. 

A rule of thumb is, if your child is working towards a physical milestone (such as rolling, sitting independently, crawling, cruising, walking, etc.) and could benefit from extra support, we suggest contacting your pediatrician and giving us a call. Physical therapy and the support of the Building Future’s therapeutic team can help strengthen your child’s mobility and physical strength, setting them up for a bright future!

Building Futures’ physical therapists address concerns such as muscle weakness, toe walking, poor balance, limited joint mobility, and more. If your child has been diagnosed with any of the following, or is exhibiting similar symptoms, they may benefit from physical therapy: 

• Muscle weakness
• Toe walking
• Poor balance
• Lack of gross motor skills
• Recovery from injuries or surgery
• Skull formation and development
• Torticollis
• Hip dysplasia
• Amputation
• Cerebral palsy
• Down syndrome
• Spina bifida
• Limited joint mobility
• Joint hypermobility.

Our pediatric physical therapy program is tailored to your child’s specific needs, with a focus on making it fun! We use games and functional play items like swings, balance balls, and trampolines to build strength and balance. The aim is to keep children engaged in their care, making sessions fun and motivating.

The benefits of pediatric physical therapy are outstanding! Your child, and so many of Building Futures’ fellow patients, are able to strengthen their bodies, increase their mobility, and improve their balance, even at a very young age. Those with brain injuries or neurological disorders achieve improved control over their bodies. We also focus on enhancing coordination, body awareness, and motor skills, enabling children to learn self-care activities like feeding and dressing.

Our mission is to give every child the opportunity to be as independent as possible and empower families to achieve the brightest futures for their children. If you’re ready to learn more, give us a call to schedule an evaluation. Click here!

Pediatric physical therapy appointments typically last between 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on your child’s skill levels and needs. We understand that “It depends” can be a frustrating and confusing answer. In order to get you and your child a resolute answer to this question, give the Building Futures team a call. Once we book an initial appointment and assess the unique needs of your child, we will outline a specialized program and set a regular appointment duration. Your child’s physical therapist may provide you homework, aka activities you can try at home with your child to improve function between appointments and after treatment is complete!

The duration of physical therapy varies for each child and is determined based on their individual needs and progress. We understand that vague answers can be frustrating; in order for the Building Futures pediatric physical therapists to provide you with an estimate of your child’s length of treatment, they will need to gain a better understanding of your child’s skills, needs, and goals. It’s also important to note that following treatment, your child may require occasional monitoring and sessions to ensure their continued improvement. Give us a call at Building Futures! After the first appointment, we will plan a program and set an initial length of treatment.

You can explain physical therapy to your child by emphasizing that it’s a way to move their bodies better and make activities throughout the day a little easier. Consider using the following script but adding a few personal examples, specific to your child.

A physical therapist is a special kind of doctor that helps people move their body better. Sometimes we call them “PTs” for short! They use stretching, exercising, and special tools to help people move and play without any discomfort. People of all ages visit PTs, from babies, children (like you!), adults, and grandparents. A PT may help you with things like strengthening your muscles, walking in a straight line, stretching to reach something high, or making playtime a bit easier. PTs are like a special helper for when your body needs a little extra support. These are just a few examples.

Even though a PT is a kind of teacher, therapy is different from school! Your PT may play games with you—they want you to have a fun time while helping you get stronger! Remember, everyone has things they are great at, and everyone has things they have trouble doing. A PT helps kids just like you get better at doing those hard things so they can do them all by themselves!

Here’s what you can expect when you bring your child in for their first pediatric physical therapy evaluation. A Building Futures physical therapist will discuss your existing questions and reasons for bringing your child in for an evaluation, then review their medical history, and observe them moving and playing. We may perform assessments of muscle strength, posture, reflexes, and flexibility.  From there, the therapist sets therapy goals and designs a custom treatment plan.

Your child’s scheduled physical therapy sessions, lasting 30-60 minutes, focus on specific activities and goals set in the initial appointment. We document each visit to provide you with a detailed report, however you are welcome to sit in on the appointment and join the fun! Your child’s goals are updated regularly based on their progress. It’s important to remember, the earlier the intervention, the better the progress! We want to see your child as soon as possible to set them up for success. If you’re ready to learn more, give us a call to schedule an evaluation. Click here!

The goals of pediatric physical therapy include—but are not limited to—building strength, flexibility, balance, and mobility to enhance your child’s overall physical wellbeing. Our primary objective is to help your child attain their highest level of function and independence!

Most physical therapy goals are set based on the SMART approach, which ensures each goal is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. The intention of setting goals with these parameters is to ensure each goal has a specific objective and progress is trackable. These goals aim to improve range of motion, strength, alignment, balance, coordination, and endurance, achieving developmental milestones. Your child’s customized treatment plan, curated to work towards these goals, may resemble play. We know that children learn and develop best through engaging activities—our plans are fun and every step towards a set goal is celebrated!

While pediatric occupational therapy centers around enhancing your child’s daily living skills, sensory processing, and emotional regulation, pediatric physical therapy primarily concentrates on fostering your child’s physical strength, mobility, and gross motor skills. Both therapies play essential roles in enhancing their general well-being and quality of life, addressing distinct facets of development.

Now, let’s dissect the distinctions between pediatric physical therapy and pediatric occupational therapy by examining their emphasis, objectives, and treatment approaches for each:

Pediatric Physical Therapy (PT):

• Focus: Helping children move independently and comfortably. Building Futures’ physical therapists focus on increasing strength and mobility of children of all ages, working towards developmental milestones, and helping children who are adapting to assistive devices like orthotics, wheelchairs, or walkers.
• Goals: Building strength, flexibility, balance, and mobility to enhance a child’s overall physical well-being. The focus is on helping children achieve their highest level of function for independent exploration of their environment.
• Treatment Plan: Sessions last 30 minutes to 1 hour, with an initial assessment guiding specific goals and a customized treatment plan. Every treatment plan is curated to your child’s needs, and physical therapy sessions are designed to be fun, using games and play items like swings and trampolines.

Pediatric Occupational Therapy (OT):

• Focus: Empowering children with skills needed for independent self-care, success at home and school, and overall enhancement of abilities, strength, and confidence. OT addresses challenges like sensory processing difficulties, motor skills development, communication, social skills, and emotional regulation.
• Goals: Building essential skills, including fine and gross motor skills, feeding, dressing, bathing, hand-eye coordination, balance, and sensory processing. OT goals are tailored to each child’s needs, established using the SMART approach to ensure each goal has a specific objective and progress is trackable.

Treatment Plan: Sessions last 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, with a focus on one-on-one interaction. Your child’s therapist assesses their unique needs and skills, tailoring a program to their age, development, play skills, sensory, social-emotional, physical, feeding, and cognitive aspects.

The duration of physical therapy varies for each child and is determined based on their individual needs and progress, however, many treatment plans include 1-3 weekly sessions. We understand that vague answers can be frustrating; in order for the Building Futures pediatric physical therapists to provide you with an estimate of your child’s length of treatment, they will need to gain a better understanding of your child’s skills, needs, and goals. Give us a call—after the first appointment, we will plan a program and set an initial length of treatment.

To verify whether your child’s pediatric physical therapy is covered through your insurance, please check whether your insurance provider is included in our list below. We collaborate with a range of insurance companies to offer extensive access to our services. In case your insurance provider is not mentioned, we recommend reaching out to our office for information on any recent additions.

Insurance Companies Accepted at Building Futures Pediatric Therapy:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Vantage
• UnitedHealthCare
• TRICARE
• Aetna Better Health
• AmeriHealth Caritas
• Louisiana Healthcare Connections
• Healthy Blue
• United Healthcare Community Plan

Unsure about some of the specific insurance-related jargon? Check out our Insurance Terms Defined cheat sheet! Or, give us a call—we are always happy to answer questions related to your insurance coverage and financial plan.

We always encourage parents to actively participate in their child’s physical therapy treatments, whether in the session or at home for continued practice and play! The Building Futures physical therapy team invites parents to be actively involved, understand the program, keep up on “homework” the therapist provides, and seek advice when needed.

Our pediatric physical therapy treatments emphasize parents’ active roles for better outcomes. You could say, you’re a co-therapist! Although we ask parents to respect our physical therapists’ expertise and allow them the space to conduct a productive session, we encourage parents to be involved in weekly sessions and to continue therapy activities at home.

For younger kids, parents might join every session, with the parent-child relationship as a focus. As kids grow, especially in adolescence, they might enjoy or prefer therapy appointments without a parent present. Even if certain things stay confidential, a parent’s involvement is critical for successful treatment.

Communication between your child, their therapist, and you is vital. We not only encourage but expect honest, open dialogue between parties, and value your insight into your child’s strengths, challenges, and concerns. Let’s get the conversation started—find out how you can be involved in your child’s treatment program and support their growth by giving us a call.