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Claire Post
Mrs. Tilley
AP Literature
16 November 2010
The Field of Pediatric Physical Therapy
Physical therapy as a whole is diagnosing an individual with their own specific problems and
issues, and then as a result developing a work plan to in the long run improve each individual’s
mobility or maintain what should be proper body function. Pediatric physical therapy is just one
field within the wide range of all therapy that is provided to the individuals in need. Pediatric
physical therapy specifically deals with children sometimes referred to as “peds” aging from
infants to the pre-teen stage. Physical therapist all work in many different environments
depending on each of their chosen specialization and field of practice. However, this was not
always true .Physical therapy was not always a well-known and accepted medical treatment.
Physical therapy has made a complete U-turn from what it was to what it now has become.
Additionally, the overall goal of a pediatric physical therapist is to improve the mobility of
their patient through sessions, and to work on developing the skills that the individual will need
to become the most independent person they possibly could be. However, in many circumstances
the patient is not in need of improvement of their mobility and motor skills, simply because they
will never be solely independent and will always need assistance no matter the deed or task at
hand might be. Therefore, then the role of the therapist changes to rather maintaining the limited
mobility that the patient does have and developing a plan with not only the patient but also with
the family to prevent further problems, and or moving backwards on the progress that has been
made. Whether the child is gaining mobility or maintaining what mobility they currently are at

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the sessions in which they attend weekly or by weekly, may be all implementing what might
considered simple tasks, into becoming what is functional for the child. Therapists evaluate each
child and vary what exercises each child will do to best benefit them. A task as simple as
building a track for a marble to roll down can implement hand mobility along with finger
movement. Through personal experience, I observed in on a physical therapy session in which a
young girl diagnosed spina bifida, a disease in which you are paralyzed from the waist down and
cannot walk independently. I watched the young girl build the track; walk with the support of
braces, crutches, and the therapist in order to pick out the pieces that she needed. She eventually
built the tower in the end that she was more than proud of. What the young girl did not know is
that she was working on her hand manipulation and rather she thought she was just playing with
her friend. That is when you know a therapist is doing her job correctly.
In the same way, the overall goal of therapy is to gain mobility and or maintain what is
currently there, but therapy in the long run does much more for the child. Therapy sessions
promote growth and strength of the individual, ease in the care giving process for the family and
or whoever is involved with the child, improves their development, and also gives them the
opportunity to succeed in which they would not have had before. Pediatric physical therapist use
exercises in the final goal of reaching tone management, motor learning, coordination and
balance, and overall an independent individual. In the case of a therapist working to maintain
current mobility of a patient the need of prosthetics and or orthotics will be required depending
on the severity of the child.
Prosthetics and orthotics are braces and or the support needed that is lacking in the child. Both
devices aid in the physical activities that are done in the sessions and also on a day to day basis
such as walking or balance. A child would not be able to complete these tasks without the

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support of prosthetics and or orthotics. Both prosthetics and orthotics are cut and designed
depending on the child in which is in need of the device. For example, one child may not need
their device to encompass their entire leg where as the next child may need a full device to
maintain his/her proper balance. All is depending upon each child’s development and body
structure. Moreover, once a new device is received and the child had begun to use it the therapist
has to watch for marks and or abrasions that the supports may be causing on the child. The
difference between a child that is allowed the privilege of using a prosthetic or orthotic and a
child who does not have access to them, can be the difference between a child who will over
time be able to walk with the support of braces and a crutch perhaps, compared to a child never
being able to walk because the proper devices were not provided. All in all, prosthetics and
orthotics can majorly aid in the developmental process as a whole.
Furthermore, when a child is required to attend physical therapy session it does not have to
only be because of a developmental issue they were born with as an infant. Children go to
physical therapy for something as simple as being injured in a sport and needing to regain the
muscle strength required to again partake in the event. The overall goal of the therapist still
remains the same which is to aid in the development of the child and work with them in
regaining their previous mobility in which they once had. Whether it is though exercises or
teaching a child with a broken leg how to properly use their crutches, all are part of the physical
therapy process.
Moreover, through my research and the observations that I have made from the sessions I
have sat in on, a large percentage of the children who see a pediatric physical therapist have
Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy has to do with brain and muscle development. A child might to be
able to properly communicate, walk, or do many other functional activities, all depending on the

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personal diagnosis. Children with this disease are born with it and it something that they will
face their whole life; therefore, physical therapy is necessary for each child to be able to live as
“normal” a life as possible.
Similarly, there are many different types of physical therapists that specialize in many
different areas, and as a result of the different specializations each therapist works in a different
environment depending upon their chosen path. Some therapist may work in hospitals, others
may work in outpatient clinics, and others may work in the school system. Therapists that choose
to work in the hospital setting generally have the more severe hands on job such as a patient
recovering from a severe injury and having just been treated for an injury. On the other hand, a
therapist who works in an outpatient clinic works with children who very well could be the same
children that received previous therapy in the hospital, but are just further along in their recovery
process and are working on regaining their full body potential. As previously mentioned, a child
who was injured in a sporting event and a child with Cerebral Palsy could very well likely attend
the same clinic, but see different therapist. Different therapists each specialize in different fields.
Although they are all classified as pediatric physical therapist they are not at all the same. This
specialization could just be simply because of the patients that they have or because of personal
taste and preferences. All in all, the therapy required and the therapist best suited to fulfill those
needs is all different.
Moreover, when a child attends physical therapy sessions it is not at a short process. The
therapist provides the child with care and therapeutic exercises during the sessions, along with
exercises and activities that must be done at home. After time has passed and the patient has been
working with an individual therapist a re-evaluation is required. Upon a patient first beginning
pediatric physical therapy sessions they were first evaluated to see what movement they had and

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the overall goal of the patient in the end. Thus, after time has passed and the therapist has had
time to work with the patient, the individual gets re-evaluated. As a result, the progress made
could be positive or negative, but in the long run the overall goal is very likely to change for the
child.
All in all, pediatric physical therapy is diagnosing an individual with current problems that
they are faced with and working on a plan to in the end help the child in the long run. Therapist
create work plans and therapeutic exercises in order to achieve this goal, and in the end work
side by side not only with the patient but also with the family in gaining the maximum mobility
for each of their patients. The working environment of each pediatric physical therapist varies
depending on their individual field of specialization, but the overall goal of each therapist
remains the same, gaining the full potential of the child and helping to improve the skills they
already have and also develop new motor and physical mobility that will better each patient as a
person in life. In conclusion, therapy is necessary for many people around the world, and can aid
in the physical development of many.