What does a physical therapist do for children with special needs?
Physical therapists will provide services either at a child’s home, childcare provider, or school. This is dependent on the age of the child (if receiving services from birth to toddler stage then the child would receive services at home or childcare provider’s home; if the child is attending at school then the child would receive services at school). The physical therapist can provide services to the child either directly or indirectly. If the services are provided directly to the child, it would be done in a one-on-one setting. These services may assist with helping the child improve his or her gross motor limitations (i.e. if the child is having a difficult time sitting up independently, the physical therapist may utilize different techniques on how to improve this gross motor task). A physical therapist can also provide services indirectly through modeling an array of techniques, skills, and methods of how the child’s family, childcare provider, and teachers can assist in improving
