The Working Therapist: Providing Helpful Ideas for Pediatric Speech, Occupational and Physical Therapy

Happy New Year! As we welcome 2015, many people are creating New Year's resolutions in hopes that they will better themselves this year. How should you be planning to better yourself professionally this year, though? How can you move beyond thinking of resolutions in order to create meaningful, planned out goals that can be accomplished this calendar year? The process for crafting such goals for yourself is closer than you think. Join Haden as she discusses how you can use the expertise you use every day to grow yourself professionally this year in "Creating Your New Year's Goals." Looking for more therapy resources? Be sure to visit www.pediatricdt.com today!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from The Working Therapist!

Haden is joined by guests Kjirsti Myles, PDT Purple Team lead and physical therapist, and Claire Monroe, PDT purple team member and occupational therapist, as they discuss "How to Create a Good Home Program." Too often therapists receive a great deal of instruction on how to write a good evaluations and goals, but not much attention is brought to how to write good home programs. We know, though, that it is good, functional home programs that make the difference in seeing patients further in development. So how do write a good home program? How do you effectively find what works for each family & child in order to maximize carryover? Haden, Kjirsti, and Claire give practical, applicable insight and direction to these and more questions. Looking for more therapy resources? Be sure to visit www.pediatricdt.com today!

The holiday season is already upon us and that means lots of shopping. As you and your parents shop for gifts for the special little people in our lives there are a myriad of products from which to choose. Certain questions begin to come to mind. "How do I know what to buy?" "What is a toy that will not only bring enjoyment, but aid in development?" If you are asking any of these questions than this podcast is a must hear. Join Haden and her guest, Alyson Nance, as they discuss "Good Toy v. Great Toy". Throughout the podcast Haden and Alyson speak from their years of experience doing therapy and providing quality, developmentally focused toys for children. Haden and Alyson review what makes a great toy great. They also discuss their top 10 favorite toys for this season. Looking for more therapy resources? Be sure to visit www.pediatricdt.com today!

Haden welcomes guest, Kjirsti Myles, physical therapist and PDT Purple Team leader, as they discuss "Idiopathic Toe Walkers." Physical therapists are beginning to see increasing numbers of young children referred from primary care physicians with this condition, but what is idiopathic toe walking? How do you treat for something for which there is not a known cause? Are there underlying issues that physicians are missing? Join Haden and Kjirsti as they answer these questions and many more in this episode of The Working Therapist. Looking for more therapy resources? Be sure to visit www.pediatricdt.com today!

What is the best way to communicate with referral sources? How should I best word a letter of medical necessity for insurance companies? What is the best way that I should refer patients to a specialist? If you have ever asked one of these questions than this podcast is a must hear. Join Haden and guest, Kjirsti Myles, physical therapist and PDT Purple Team lead, as they discuss "Managing Medical Management." Throughout this podcast Haden and Kjirsti give practical insight on how to best initialize and maintain healthy communication with doctors, insurance companies, specialists, and more. This is a great listen for therapists of all disciplines. Looking for more therapy resources? Be sure to visit www.pediatricdt.com today!

Haden is joined by guests Kjirsti Myles, physical therapist and PDT Purple Team member, and Teresa Copper, Director of Events & Community Relations for the Sandhills Children's Center, as they discuss the "2014 Festival of Trees." The Sandhills Children's Center, or SCC, is a private, non-profit developmental day center for children with and without developmental needs. The "Festival of Trees" is the center's largest fundraiser. It is an incredible event that benefits children throughout Southeastern North Carolina. Listen in to Haden and her guests as they discuss this incredible event, and learn how you can participate this year! Looking for more therapy resources? Be sure to visit www.pediatricdt.com today!

In this episode of The Working Therapist, Haden is joined by physical therapist and Pediatric Developmental Therapy purple team member, Nicki Grates, as they discuss torticollis. Torticollis is a muscular condition that affects many children. It can be reversed, though, with appropriate treatment. Join Haden and Nicki as they give practical, functional insight into treating this in infants and young children. This is a must hear podcast. Looking for more therapy resources? Be sure to visit www.pediatricdt.com today!

Haden is joined by guests Mike Montgomery and Glenn Bakie of Mercury Active as they discuss "Incredebooks." Mercury Active is a digital entertainment studio that has worked with companies such as Hasbro, Electronic Arts, Disney, Nickelodeon, and many others in developments. They have recently released a new series of augmented reality books titled "Incredebooks". Each Incredebook contains a classic tale infused with interactive and engaging mobile gaming technologies. These books have become a smashing success for therapy in all of our clinics, schools, and developmental day centers. Join Haden and her guests as they discuss the development, design, and future of these great books, as well as the range of therapy applications that they contain. Looking for more therapy resources? Be sure to visit www.pediatricdt.com today!

In this episode of the The Working Therapist, Haden is joined by PDT Project Manager, Alyson Nance, to discuss Christmas Child 2014. Christmas Child is an annual event that Pediatric Developmental Therapy sponsors to provide Christmas for children who would not have it otherwise. Since its inception, Christmas Child has grown from reaching just a few children to reaching 120 children and families last year! Join Haden and Alyson for this inspiring podcast and learn how you can take the "NO CHRISTMAS PARTY" challenge. Want to learn more about Christmas Child? Be sure to visit www.christmaschildproject.org today!

Haden is joined by guest and PDT team lead, Kim Molnar, as they discuss "The Art of School Therapy." Doing therapy in schools is a completely different experience than doing therapy in a clinic or hospital setting. Haden and Kim offer insight from years of experience creating engaging, functional, and flexible treatment sessions for children seen in the school setting. Throughout the episode they discuss scheduling strategies and practices, successful collaboration with teachers, as well as tips on paperwork. This is a must-hear episode for therapists of all disciplines! Looking for more therapy resources? Be sure to visit www.pediatricdt.com today!

In this episode of The Working Therapist, Haden is joined by guests Kim Molnar, PDT team lead and SLP, and Candice Barbour, PDT team member and SLPA. As its title suggests, this episode thoroughly focuses on the various treatment applications for books in therapy. Books are one of the greatest tools that a therapist can use. They are functional and adaptable. Too often, though, therapists do not maximize these fantastic tools to the full extent of which they are capable. Join Haden and her guests as they give creative insight into "Using a Book in Therapy." Looking for more therapy resources? Be sure to check out www.pediatricdt.com today!

Join Haden as she continues her discussion on the oral motor exam as she focuses on "Tongues, Lips, and Cheeks: Assessment and Treatment Strategies." This episode picks up where the previous podcast titled "Jaw Assessment and Feeding Strategies" ended. Throughout the episode Haden discusses assessing tone, asymmetries, hypersensitivity, and more for tongues, lips, and cheeks. She also give insight into practical, easy assessment and treatment strategies that work for a variety of ages. This is a must hear podcast for therapists and parents. Looking for more therapy resources? Be sure to check out www.pediatricdt.com today!

In this episode of The Working Therapist Haden reviews "Jaw Strength and Assessment Strategies." The jaw is the foundation for speech and feeding, but too often it is overlooked. Throughout this episode Haden highlights different strategies of assessment that evaluate jaw excursion, control and strength, rhythm, lateral jaw movements, as well as isolation of the tongue and jaw. Haden also communicates some of her favorite treatment strategies for children. These are easy and functional exercises that can be easily reproduced by parents / guardians. This is a very informative podcast and a great listen for therapists of all disciplines, as well as parents. Looking for more therapy resources? Be sure to visit www.pediatricdt.com today!

Join Haden as she continues her discussion on the subject of infant feeding. In this episode of The Working Therapist, Haden focuses on assessment & treatment strategies. During the episode, Haden discusses various standardized tests that are useful when assessing whether an infant is a normal, disorganized, or dysfunctional feeder. Treatment strategies for each of these categories as well as subjects like aspiration and reflux are also discussed. This podcast is a must-hear for speech therapists, as well as valuable for information for therapists of other disciplines, parents, and childcare professionals. Looking for more therapy resources? Be sure to visit www.pediatricdt.com today!