Articles by Year: 2018
Fort Myers Physical Therapy Builds Strength After Teen Knee Surgery
Popularity of youth sports has exploded in recent years, and that’s great news for public health. However, it has also meant an uptick in child sports injuries – especially knee injuries like ACL tears. FOCUS Fort Myers physical therapy can…
Pup Can Give Child’s Speech Therapy Pep, Study Says
A loyal, affectionate dog can be a kid’s best friend. Recently, a speech therapy study found that introducing animals – dogs especially – into speech therapy can help strengthen the intervention and make those lessons “stick.” In a randomized control…
How Does Occupational Therapy Help Children With Autism?
Many times, when a child is first diagnosed with autism and referred to occupational therapy in Fort Myers, their first question is, “What the heck is that?” It’s a reasonable one. Most people hear “occupation” and think, “job.” What gets…
Effective Fort Myers Speech Therapy for Children With Down Syndrome
Children with Down syndrome often have speech delays and speech impairments. This is in addition to other differences in growth and development, which includes intellectual disabilities and unique facial features. Fort Myers speech therapy at FOCUS can help children with…
Pediatric Physical Therapists Say Swapping Seats Can Boost Grades
Could improving grades and classroom behavior be as simple as changing a child’s chair? That’s what a number of physical therapy researchers have concluded in recent years. As pediatric physical therapists, we help children improve fine and gross motor skills using…
ABA Therapists Talk Major Meltdown Management
Parents of children with autism are acutely familiar with “meltdowns.” Over time, they grow attuned to them, gain a better sense of what and when to expect them and become increasingly adept at avoiding the most obvious triggers, reducing frequency…
Hardworking Speech Therapists Take Playtime Seriously
Pediatric speech and language therapy is hard work – best achieved through fun-and-games. Adults tend to disregard play as a silly childhood indulgence. However, consensus among speech therapists AND child development researchers is playtime is pivotal in speech-language progress – and…
Pediatric Physical Therapy Can Help With Chronic Constipation
Chronic constipation is a crappy problem – one common among all children, but especially prevalent among children special needs. Pediatric physical therapy at FOCUS Fort Myers may help, using exercises to strengthen pelvic muscles and improve posture. We know this…
Back-to-School Blues: Helping Children With Autism Tackle the Tough Routine Change
The adjustment of starting a new school year is tough on everyone (parents included!). There are the earlier bedtimes and alarms, tighter schedules, new teachers, classmates and after school activities – all a bit jarring for many children. This is…
Parents as “Speech Therapists”: Study Shows YOU Are Key to Child’s Success
Speech therapists at FOCUS Fort Myers study for years – first in the classroom and then for the rest of our careers in practice at our clinic – learning ways to help children master key communication skills, from appropriate conversation…