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- Dr.Joni Redlich PT,DPT, PCS
Many children with developmental delay are diagnosed with low tone or hypotonia. Low tone infants are often referred to as “floppy” because their lack of tone can make them feel like ragdolls when being held. Children with developmental delays may not have hypotonia, but may present with similar challenges to the child who does have low tone. These children often have difficulty learning the next steps of gross motor development. Depending on the degree of delay the child may have difficulty with the early milestones of crawling and walking, or may struggle later on with higher level gross motor skills, such as keeping up with friends on the playground.
Children with developmental delays often have trouble with daily activities as well. They may have difficulty learning to dress and feed themselves. Low tone in the core can also affect control of the mouth and lead to feeding problems and drooling. Children with low tone will often lock their joints, such as the knees and elbows, and will have flat feet.
During a physical therapy evaluation a child’s gross motor skills and movement patterns are observed. The child’s flexibility, strength, and sensory organization will be assessed.
Based on the evaluation findings, physical therapy can include:
At Kid PT we are focused on uncovering hidden potential. Our approach can help children to skyrocket their skills to the next level by eliminating differences and disconnections in the body that you may not know are even there, until we show you where to look.
Kid PT uses the Sensory Motor Integration for Life and Education (SMILE) approach to help children with developmental delay to achieve their goals. The three levels of the SMILE Approach build up the core foundations of movement that some children have not developed on their own. The three pieces of SMILE work together to ALIGN the body, ACTIVATE the neuromuscular system, and INTEGRATE the sensory-motor systems. These three pillars work as a sequence of increasing sensory-motor complexity to build a solid foundation for movement. More advanced developmental skills for learning and daily life can then develop with more spontaneity and less intervention.
By focusing on the building blocks of movement through the S.M.I.L.E. approach, children can build the foundations they need for success in daily life and in school. Call Kid PT today to learn more how we can help your child unlock their potential.