Outpatient Pediatric Therapy Services

Physical therapy helps kids improve their range of motion, strength, flexibility, and movement patterns. The goal of PT is to help children move their bodies how and when they want to the best of their abilities and to help make everyday activities easier for kids.

Children are referred to physical therapy when they display limitations in their Range of Motion (ROM), strength, mobility, or balance. These limitations may occur for known reasons such as premature birth, torticollis, scoliosis, hypotonia, in-utero positioning, or an unknown cause.

TLC offers therapy on an outpatient basis through their outpatient center, and the preschool for children enrolled in their Early Intervention Day Treatment (EIDT) services. If you receive therapy through the outpatient center, your therapist will schedule your appointment. If your child attends the center, they will be checked out of the classroom for treatment and returned to their classroom at various times of the week. 

At TLC, we invest heavily into the advanced training of our staff so that your child will always receive the absolute best care using the most appropriate treatments.  At The Learning Center, we treat children from birth to 18 years of age. We recommend that adolescents with sports injuries see a physical therapist specializing in that area.

At TLC, we consider the child’s physician an essential part of the team. While we would love for you to contact us, we request that you get your child’s pediatrician and let them know of your concerns. 

Together you can determine if the evaluation may be necessary. We will be happy to assist you and your physician in obtaining the referral and with any other questions. If you would like to speak with us about an outpatient referral, please call 870-932-4245 ext. 9374. If you are inquiring about the EDIT program, please contact Christy at (870) 932-4245 ext. 9355.

Torticollis is defined as a limitation in head and neck movements. Torticollis has progressed at an epidemic rate since Back to Sleep & Prone to Play was implemented. The Back to Sleep program has all but eliminated SIDS, so it needs to be followed, but the result is that children are spending less and less time on their tummies. Usually identified at their 3-month check-up, the earlier it is determined, the easier it is to treat.

Our therapist uses muscle energy techniques, manual techniques, myofascial release, and home programming to treat torticollis. Occasionally, Kinesio taping or a TOT collar is used for severe cases.

As recommended by the Physical Therapy Practice Acts, based on a child’s torticollis score, the child will typically receive PT two to three times per week. We also use these guidelines to determine the duration of treatment based on your child's improvement of movement.

The therapist will bring the child into their treatment room, and the parents are welcome to come. Using toys and play, the therapist will ask the child to perform a series of tasks, i.e., hop on one foot across this line. These are typically items found on a standardized test. Under insurance guidelines, we test your child to qualify for therapy. The therapist may also use a tape and a unique tool to measure joints called a goniometer. 

We often give the children our tools to inspect, so they are not concerned when using them. Often children are evaluated and treated where another child or two are nearby. Children typically are less anxious when they see another child playing and enjoying themselves. The therapist will often ask you several questions throughout the evaluation. At the end of the evaluation, the therapist may or may not be able to tell you whether your child qualifies. The end of the evaluation is also an ideal time to ask questions about your therapist. 

If you cannot determine your child's enrollment in the center-based programs that day, the therapist or their case manager will contact you.

We feel that parents play a crucial role in the progression of physical therapy treatment. We will often use letters or videos of your child and what they are doing in physical therapy so that you may carry over the work at home. 

If you have questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact us! Our email addresses are listed on this website, or call the center directly.

Long gone are the days of Forrest Gump bracing. Nowadays, manufacturers construct most braces from soft, flexible plastic with Velcro straps that fit in shoes. 

We determine your child's height and style of brace according to the amount of support or control that your child requires. We utilize JPO to provide our bracing, but you may use any provider you wish. JPO comes to TLC on Wednesday as a convenience for the family and children. Braces work as a therapy tool when worn correctly, aiding in motor development and strengthening. 

Braces should not be painful or cause blisters or sores. If they do, remove them immediately and contact your therapist or orthotist.

Neuro-Developmental Treatment (NDT) originated in England by a husband and wife who were physicians in the ’50s. They focused on the development and treatment of children with cerebral palsy. It has advanced significantly from that point. Today NDT is a treatment approach that focuses on assessing, evaluating, and treating those with movement impairment. 

NDT holds its roots in neuromuscular dysfunction but applies to most all motor disorders. The intensive training is the equivalent of attending eight weeks of continuous training. During the eight weeks, the therapist sharpens their assessment, evaluation, and treatment skills.

TLC currently has seven therapists on staff who are NDT certified and another two who are in process. They are best known for their handling techniques that promote standard motor movement patterns, focusing on functional skills. This approach is just one of the ways that TLC works to provide the absolute best treatments for your children.

Sensory responses drive a considerable portion of the motor system. For example, most stroke patients have intact motor skills but impaired sensation in their arms or leg. This loss of sensation can lead to limb dragging and poor control of the affected arm or leg. 

While your child probably has not had a stroke, things are a little chaotic somewhere in their sensory system. Their brain is not sending the correct information at the right frequency and the correct repetition. 

Yes, there are a lot of moving parts to sensory-motor disorders. Often, these children are described as clumsy or accident-prone. PT treats the weakness, poor coordination, and timing issues that limit motor skills development. 

At TLC, we utilize a variety of sensory treatments, including the astronaut protocol, Wilberger brushing, vestibular swing, deep pressure, weighted vests, SPIO suits, and TheraBand, to name a few. Our therapists use the correct combination of sensory with motor training to promote your child's optimal motor learning.

Did you know there are 20 different muscles and 14 bones in the face alone? The surrounding muscles and bones of the head, neck, and trunk heavily influence the development of these bones. 

Together, all those muscles must have the proper strength, alignment, and stability for an infant or child to swallow correctly, chew, and talk. Add in breathing, sequencing, and processing by the brain, and you have one complicated process. 

A licensed Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) understands how all these things work together and what to do when they do not. Here at The Learning Center, our therapists receive extensive training on the latest proven techniques to help your child in a fun and loving environment. 

Therapy may begin as early as infancy with feeding, swallowing, or hearing concerns. You may want to consider treatment for your toddler if they will not eat more than two to three things, are slow to talk, speak with a stutter or in an unusual pitch, or if they are hard to understand. 

Even a school-age child who cannot make those few sounds or is learning to talk with an Augmentative Communication device may need speech therapy. Our speech therapists work as a team with other therapists, the family, and physicians to help your child achieve their full potential.

At TLC, we see the physician as the key administrator of a child's health and development. We recommend that you contact them and discuss your concerns. They may want you to bring your child in for a visit. 

Once you have discussed these concerns with your child's physician, they will typically send a script directly to TLC, and someone from TLC will contact you to schedule a speech therapy evaluation. 

If you have questions about the process and your child, don't hesitate to contact our program coordinator, Christy, at 870-932-4245.

With a newborn, there is so much individuality and newness. Parents often wonder if things they are observing are typical or should be concerned, especially regarding feeding! 

When your baby takes a bottle- Do they latch well? Have a lot of milk come from their mouth during feedings? Have episodes of coughing or choking? Do feedings last longer than 30 minutes? Does your baby frequently have large spit-ups that come out of the nose? 

These episodes might mean they are showing signs of feeding difficulties. If you notice these signs, please let your baby’s doctor know! At The Learning Center, we have therapists who specialize in helping your infant with all the abovementioned issues.

Is mealtime a battle? Do you wonder if your child is “just a picky eater” or if there is a problem? If your child eats 30 different foods or more, they qualify as just a picky eater. Picky eaters typically eat at least one food from most nutrition and texture groups. 

Although these children are reluctant, you can place new foods on their plates, and they will touch and often taste them. They are willing to eat a meal with other family members at the table. 

It is usual for a child to want to eat food multiple times and then stop eating it altogether. This habit is called food “jagging.” 

However, if your child eats only 20 different foods or fewer, there might be a reason to seek help. 

“Problem feeders” often refuse entire categories of food or textures. When presented with new foods, problem feeders often scream and fall apart or gag. They almost always eat different foods and often at different times and places than other family members. TLC utilizes both speech and occupational therapists in the treatment of Problem Feeders. 

With the use of multiple treatment techniques like those practiced in food chaining, SOS, Oral Beckman, sensory processing, and many others, they customize a treatment plan with their goal to make mealtimes a happy, stressful accessible, and nutritious daily occurrence.

Do you struggle to understand what your child is trying to say? Can your child communicate their basic needs and wants through words?

There are many reasons for this occurrence in children. A simple articulation issue can occur from oral weakness, the ability to hear well, structural issues, or processing issues, to name a few. 

A speech evaluation for language concerns can help you determine the base cause of your child’s language issues. They will develop a plan from the evaluation by working together with the parent and child. They can have your child kindergarten ready!

It is common for a toddler to stutter. Typically, this occurs when the child cannot form their sentences as quickly as their brain is processing them. When this happens, do not draw attention to it. Wait patiently, do not complete their sentences. They will outgrow it. 

However, there are times that stuttering can be an actual “fluency” issue. Stuttering should not cause significant anxiety in a child or persist past four years of age. 

If the stutter appears in conjunction with another activity, such as blinking, hand tapping, or facial grimacing, they might need the help of a speech pathologist to resolve it.

Augmentative Communication describes any form of communication that is not verbal speech to express a person’s thoughts, needs, wants, or ideas. Pointing and grunting, for example, are forms of augmentative communication. 

However, a child can only communicate so much utilizing that strategy  When a child cannot communicate effectively, they often become very frustrated  Many times, the child will then exhibit less than desirable behaviors  

At TLC, we use many different forms of Augmentative Communication that include both low and high technology to improve your child’s ability to communicate. 

Examples of low tech could be touching an object or a card with a picture of the thing on it. It could also be activating a prerecorded message with a switch to select or tell what you want. 

Many times, speech pathologists use the lower technical forms of augmentative Communication to build fundamentals of language development in children  Then, they may progress to higher technology devices such as an iPad with “Words for Life” on it Augmentative communication devices (ACD) are often used to ENCOURAGE the development of functional talking.

When a speech therapist begins the use of ACD with a child the end goal is always for them to talk  Occasionally a child is not able to develop verbal language  Then the child may be evaluated for a “talker”– a high-tech electronic device that utilizes the same patterns learned in “Words for Life,” but can do much more by storing long sentences and patterns allowing the nonverbal person to communicate in much more detail 

TLC is a LAMP Center of Excellence. We have people certified in all levels of devices low to high. We host monthly training with an ACD representative, Jennifer Herzog, to support all individuals and their families that use or are learning to use a high-tech device.

To inquire about ACD devices further or if your child is utilizing an ACD and you would like to attend the training, please contact TLC at 870-932-4245.