Easterseals Celebrates Physical Therapy Month

When a child needs a little extra help and therapy is recommended, it can be overwhelming, especially for working families. Sometimes having the child receive therapy services at daycare is the best solution for all and that’s exactly what Easterseals does for the Scorah family of Seaford, DE. One-and-a-half-year-old Bentley receives all his therapy in his childcare, and it has had a big impact in helping him achieve his developmental goals.

“Therapies have made such a big difference. He has progressed so much. He is reaching his milestones with their help,” Bentey’s mom, Caitlin, says. “Having therapies at daycare is amazing. The therapists are meeting his needs while we are at work. They take videos of techniques so childcare staff can work with him and so we can help him at home.”

Easterseals celebrates National Physical Therapy Month, marked every October, by recognizing the contributions that physical therapists make in the lives of participants, like Bentley. Bentley started receiving Physical Therapy at one month for low tone and core strength. Later Feeding Therapy was added to help with swallowing and chewing more thoroughly and Occupational Therapy when his parents recognized he was favoring one arm. 

“We’re extremely family-centered, and each child receives individualized therapy,” Easterseals Clinical Coordinator of Therapy Services, Colleen Heckman, says. “We work as a team, and we consider the family to be equal partners in that team. We have plenty of expertise about child development, but parents and caregivers are the experts when it comes to their kids. Working together makes for a powerful partnership that helps our children succeed.”

Bentley is making a lot of progress in his therapies. He learned to crawl with the help of physical therapists and is now working on walking with the help of a gait trainer. He is also learning to dress himself, point and wave with his occupational therapist. In speech and feeding therapy, he is saying his first words, like “mama”, “dada”, and “dog,” as well as learning to take bigger bites during mealtime.

“Everything we do, we do with the children at the center, while empowering their families to do everything they can to help their children succeed.” Easterseals Vice President of Children’s Therapy Services, Michelle Blankenship, says.