natalie.DPT

In the News! - New tool to help identify motor delays in infants & toddlers! #devdelay #pediPT #pediOT #parenting

  The American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC have created an excellent online tool to help parents/caregivers identify any motor delays in children under 5 years old! Click the link above to check out their page!

The site lists key milestones that a child should reach and then has a checklist for the parent to check through to help them determine if their child has any physical motor delays.…

Fun News Friday! - Caroline’s Cart is Rolling into Target! @carolinescart #pediPT #inclusion #specialneeds

Target will soon be having Caroline’s Cart in their stores starting March 19th!

  So what is Caroline’s Cart? Info from their website:

Caroline’s Cart is a shopping cart created for special needs children. It provides parents and caregivers a viable option to transport a child through a store while grocery shopping, without having the impossible task of having to maneuver a wheelchair and a…

Helpful Website- Abilities.com @AbilitiesExpo is coming! #pediPT #inclusion #abilitiesLosAngeles

Abilities.com is a great website with a number of great resources in addition to their wonderful Abilities Expos! Info from their site:

Whether you are new to this dynamic and passionate Community or have been a card-carrying member since birth, Abilities is here to help you engage on multiple levels. We have taken what is special about the live Abilities Expos and amplified it online to more…

Helpful Websites- Hatch- for families w/ children with #special needs. #hatchthatidea #pediPT

Sorry for the absence of posts for a few months, but I am back to start posting again.  Wanted to use my first post back to share about a website that can be very valuable to families with children with special needs.

http://www.hatchthatidea.com/

I have been following Hatchon Facebook and am always excited to see their new posts with new ideas/equipment for families with children with special…

Fun News Friday! Highlighting a pediatric therapy clinic! - Dance Recital For Ballerinas With Disabilities #pedipt

Dance Recital For Ballerinas With Disabilities Is So On Pointe

Highlights from the article:

There’s a place for everyone on center stage.

Young students at the Children’s Therapy Center in New Jersey gathered Tuesday for the school’s ninth annual ballet recital. The dancers, who face physical, medical and developmental challenges, celebrated their big night after a full year of rehearsals,PIX 11…

48 Hour Disability Challenge #disabilitychallenge #inclusion #film

Wanted to share about a contest going on that facilitates inclusion!

Info from their site:

The Disability Film Challenge is a 48 Hour short film competition that has been established in association with prestigious organizations such as the Media Access Awards and theHollyShorts Film Festival.  It is a competition in which entrants are allotted two days to complete production of their entry into…

Fun News Friday! Prom for everyone! #pediPT #inclusion #prom #specialneeds

Since it will soon be prom season for high school aged students, thought I would share a great article and videos about proms that are being thrown across the country for individuals with special needs.

After researching Proms for people with special needs, I came across videos by the Tim Tebow Foundation who has been sponsoring these events across the country for 5 years now!

After searching for…

Fun News Friday! BYU students make the world's lightest, least expensive motorized wheelchair #pediPT #smaawareness

Here’s an article and video about something that I hoped would be available soon since adapted equipment can get very expensive and it’s so challenging to get equipment approved and authorized.  If this becomes widely available then it will also allow children to start becoming mobile earlier and faster rather than waiting for a wheelchair to be approved.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H…

Resources for Parents and Therapists- Firefly #pediPT #pediatrics @Fireflybyleckey

I wanted to highlight a company called Firefly which has a great Special Needs Blog for parents and therapists, and they also announced today that they are now shipping their products to the United States!

Firefly makes a few innovative products to help children with special needs explore their environment.  I’m not going to directly discuss their products since I haven’t tried them directly…

Fun News Friday! For Special-Needs Students, Custom Furniture Out of Schoolhouse Scraps #pediPT #physicaltherapy

A rare informative article about a school physical therapist!

Highlights from the article:

Whenever Michael Konstalid visits a school, he makes sure to pay a visit to the basement.

There, Mr. Konstalid, a roaming physical therapist for the New York City Education Department, gives his phone number to a custodian and asks that no broken furniture be thrown away until he is called. This protocol…

Fun News Friday! Why Babies Love (And Learn From) Magic Tricks #pediPT #magic #physicaltherapy

Here’s a great article along with audio discussing a study about something new about how babies learn. As a physical therapist, we learn a lot about motor learning and how one acquires a new skill or relearns an old skill. This is especially important in pediatrics where there is brand new learning happening multiple times during a session. I plan on using this method with some of my kiddos! ‪

Wh…

Diagnosis Discussion- Upper and Lower Limb Reduction Defects #empowering #pediPT #physicaltherapy @CAFoundation

Since Microsoft’s Super Bowl commercial highlighted the life of a boy with congenital limb defects, I thought I would discuss the diagnosis here and share some resources for kiddos with limb loss.

Info from the CDC : http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/birthdefects/UL-LimbReductionDefects.html

Upper and lower limb reduction defects occur when…

In the News- Chelsea Werner, gymnast with Down Syndrome #DSawareness #specialolympics #gymnastics #pediPT #todayshow

Here’s an article to add a little joy to your holiday season!

Champion gymnast with Down syndrome overcomes obstacles, inspires others

Make sure to watch the Today video in the article!

Her story is a great example of how strengthening and practice can help manage low muscle tone.

Here’s another video I found showing Chelsea’s story and skills!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbwpGsgeJYk…

In order to be a good clinician, a physical therapist must also keep up with recent research and try to apply relevant research to their practice.  So I thought I would highlight a recent research article that involves a topic that I have been asked about frequently!  One of the big questions parents ask around the time their kiddo starts walking is: what are the best shoes to buy?

Typically my…

Have a Happy Accessible Halloween! #halloween #pediPT #pediOT #play #kids #wheelchair #costume

Thought I would share a Halloween themed post and post links to various websites with great Halloween costume ideas for children/adults in wheelchairs and walkers!

  Recent news article: Step Dad Creates Wheelchair Halloween Costume For Son Every Year

“Halloween is one of kids’ favorite holidays, as they get to dress up in their favorite costume. However, this fun time is a challenge for…

Happy Physical Therapy Month! Everyday Tips and Tricks #PTmonth #pediPT #kids #play #NPTM

Sorry for the lack of posts during this important month for physical therapists!

I first wanted to highlight a page on my main page that tells you all about what pediatric physical therapy is.

One of the main issues that I am concerned with as a pediatric physical therapist, is how parents can continue to practice the skills that I work on during our physical therapy sessions.  I always emphasize…

In the News- Thula the Therapy Cat #autismawareness #cats #pediOT #pediPT

Heartwarming Friendship Of A 5-Year-Old Girl With Autism And Her Therapy Cat

Since I mostly post about how awesome dogs are for therapy and to help kids participate more with their peers, thought it was great to finally have an article about a therapy cat!

  Highlights from the article:

Thula, who is almost 1 year old, is a Maine Coon. This breed is known as the intelligent and gentle giant of…