Backus rehab offers help for children
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Backus Hospital's Rehabilitation Services Department offers a wide range of services for children in the community with developmental issues or disabilities.
Paula Signora, a speech therapist at the Backus Outpatient Care Center, said there are services available for infants, toddlers and school-age children, which may supplement services from birth to age 3 or through schools. A referral from a doctor, such as a pediatrician, is needed.
"We hope to make pediatricians and the public more aware of what services we provide," said Ms. Signora. "We have speech therapists, occupational therapists and physical therapists all trained to work with children."
As a speech therapist, Ms. Signora not only works on communication skills, but also handles feeding issues with young children.
"We work with children who have developmental or acquired disorders," Ms. Signora said. "Children who suffer from reflux or have been intubated may avoid eating because they may associate eating with being uncomfortable. We have a variety of techniques to make feeding a more pleasant experience.
"We can consult with each other in speech, occupational and physical therapy to better treat a child's overall issues. For example, this can help children better engage in communication."
Several of the speech therapists also are trained in PROMPT, a program that involves the use of touch cues to improve a child's speech.
"We use tactile therapies to enhance sensory input in order to teach children how to articulate when they are speaking," Ms. Signora said.
For more information, go to www.backushospital.org/rehab and click on "pediatric services."