Therapy for Children
Specialist Therapy for Children
Physiotherapy
The key objective of our specialist physiotherapy is to help child with cerebral palsy achieve their maximum physical potential and independence.
• We begin with an individualised assessment to evaluate the child’s motor skills, muscle tone, sensory processing and cognitive level.
• Therapy is individually tailored and aims to maximise each child’s potential and quality of life across all ability levels. In addition, physiotherapists work closely within a multidisciplinary team to provide coordinated care.
• Therapy focuses on assessing a child’s movement skills as they learn to roll, sit, crawl and stand.
• Therapy often incorporates play and daily activities, to motivate children to actively engage and participate and make sessions enjoyable and relevant to the child’s life.
Early intervention is essential, when the infant brain is at its highest capacity for change and reorganisation by forming new pathways (neuroplasticity), which helps the brain ‘rewire’ itself to improve motor outcomes, coordination and learning.
For children with mild to moderate physical challenges, physiotherapy emphasises improving mobility and participation in everyday activities. This may include strength and balance training, walking practice, and functional exercises such as climbing stairs or playing games.
Children with more complex physical needs may require greater support. Therapy at this level focuses on assisted movement, safe positioning, and the use of mobility aids such as walkers or standing frames.
Speech and Language Therapy
Communication
In the very early stages our speech and language therapist can advise on ways to encourage communication development in children, even before a diagnosis is confirmed.
For children who may have difficulty developing speech or relying on speech alone for communication, our speech and language therapist can help explore additional options for communication. This is called Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and can include:
• Looking at what a child already does to communicate – eye contact, movements, vocalisations
• Signing systems (e.g. Makaton)
• Symbol communication
• High-tech communication devices e.g. touch screen devices, eye-gaze technology.
We can help children to progress in their use of the above to address communication needs at each stage of childhood.
Our speech and language therapist can offer therapy to improve speech intelligibility, increasing a child’s competence and confidence as a communicator.
Eating and drinking
From early feeding through weaning to later feeding skills, we can help with:
• Concerns over eating and drinking skills
• Appropriate cups and utensils
• Giving parents/carers the skills to confidently approach mealtimes
• Our speech and language therapist and occupational therapist work together to help children address eating and drinking concerns
Occupational Therapy
Early Stages
In the early stages of your child’s life, Occupational Therapy can help with:
• Guidance through your child’s developmental milestones
• Tailored strategies that are specific and individual to your own child
• Positioning and handling
• Optimal sensory environment
• Building foundations for fine motor skills
• Play
For pre-school and primary school aged children:
• Functional goals and problem solving
• Play skills and environmental adaptations allowing play
• Quality of movement and coordination in functional tasks
• Ability to transfer – sitting, standing, between equipment
• Fine motor skills necessary for school such as handwriting, dressing, and ability to participate in a classroom
• Assess and address sensory processing difficulties
• Postural management
Older children and teenagers:
• Focusing on their goals, keeping them motivated and engaged
• Fine motor skills
• Problem solving around independence – e.g. using toilet, dressing, using cutlery, transfers in and out of equipment
• Pre and post therapy if your child has had Botox or surgery, to achieve the best outcome
Psychological Support
Individual Sessions
Our chartered psychologist offers one-to-one sessions for young people with cerebral palsy, beginning with an initial consultation to identify the areas they would like support with. These sessions focus on understanding stress or anxiety, recognising triggers, and developing practical coping or relaxation strategies.
Support may help the person address emotional, physical or communication related challenges, including those linked to chronic pain or to being listened to as an AAC user. Sessions can also support people with navigating transitions, such as changes in independence or moving into adulthood, and finding approaches that make day-to-day life more manageable.
Assessment
Our psychologist conducts comprehensive assessments of learning (e.g., literacy, processing skills, numeracy) for children with cerebral palsy. A report is provided summarising the outcomes, with suggested strategies to support further progress.
