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

Every case that comes to you as a therapist is a unique situation requiring a unique strategy. But there are many practices in therapy that are universal. New therapists at PDT repeatedly ask Haden and Kjirsti, "How can I improve as a therapist?" In response, they have identified three areas that can help move you from being a good therapist to being a great therapist. Today's podcast focuses on communication.

There's an old saying: "If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there." When developing a therapy plan of care, taking just "any road" is never an option. In today's podcast, Haden & Kjirsti will teach you how to develop a plan of care with the end result in mind. Using "E.S.C.A.P.E." as an acrostic will help you remember these 6 steps.

There's an old saying: "If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there." When developing a therapy plan of care, taking just "any road" is never an option. In today's podcast, Haden & Kjirsti will teach you how to develop a plan of care with the end result in mind. Using "E.S.C.A.P.E." as an acrostic will help you remember these 6 steps.

Therapists often find themselves adrift in a sea of paperwork that takes their focus away from being the creative, enthusiastic professional they set out to be. In today's episode, Haden & Kjirsti throw out a lifeline to keep you from drowning in paperwork as a private practice therapist. They will explain how and why your documentation should consist of 5 things and no more.

Every job has its own internal code. We recorded this podcast using a DAW. Our IT Technicians manage our POE Routers and Switches to get the internet to your computer. But you don't have to know what DAW or POE means to listen to this podcast. For the therapist, medical coding is one of our internal languages. The patient does not know, and yet benefits from your services. Billing, on the other hand, must connect your service to the proper medical code in order to facilitate your payment. In this episode, Haden & Kjirsti will help you get a better handle on medical coding.

The vision of the Pediatric Developmental Therapy (PDT) practice stems from Founder Haden Boliek's belief that is vital to treat the whole child. You will often hear Haden talk about "getting kids moving and grooving." As a speech therapist she has witnessed time and time again the therapeutic benefit of physical movement to stimulate the natural flow of communication. That's the reason PDT partners with the Healthy Kids Running initiative to get kids moving and wants to share this program with you. Special guest, Brooke Magni and co-host Kjirsti Miles explore the benefits of the Healthy Kids Running program and how it can be an asset to children in your therapy practice

The vision of the Pediatric Developmental Therapy (PDT) practice stems from Founder Haden Boliek's belief that is vital to treat the whole child. You will often hear Haden talk about "getting kids moving and grooving." As a speech therapist she has witnessed time and time again the therapeutic benefit of physical movement to stimulate the natural flow of communication. That's the reason PDT partners with the Healthy Kids Running initiative to get kids moving and wants to share this program with you. Special guest, Brooke Magni and co-host Kjirsti Miles explore the benefits of the Healthy Kids Running program and how it can be an asset to children in your therapy practice

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder that every speech therapist will encounter. Children with CAS have great difficulty producing the specific series of movements of the tongue, lips, jaw and palate that facilitate correct speech. In this podcast, Haden will help you to identify CAS, then begin the process of diagnosis and the development of a therapy model for the children in your practice.

Everyone has their list of must-haves for their therapy space. Rarely do people make a list of things that should be missing. In today's podcast, Haden creates this list for you and gives you the reasons your therapy clinic will be so much better without these items. Then, as a bonus, she gives a list of must-haves to replace what's missing.

The therapeutic benefits of using toys with parts and pieces is both immense and interdisciplinary. From teaching early learning concepts like top/bottom/middle, on/off & stop/go to strengthening hand-eye coordination skills & improving hand dexterity to naming & labeling - a therapist can accomplish many goals while building a toy with a child. Today, Haden and Kjirsti share the first five of their favorite parts and pieces toys to use in therapy.

The therapeutic benefits of using toys with parts and pieces is both immense and interdisciplinary. From teaching early learning concepts like top/bottom/middle, on/off & stop/go to strengthening hand-eye coordination skills & improving hand dexterity to naming & labeling - a therapist can accomplish many goals while building a toy with a child. Today, Haden and Kjirsti share the first five of their favorite parts and pieces toys to use in therapy.

Moving a child through the stages of development as a parent and therapeutically, often go hand in hand. The therapist is called to come alongside the parent and assist them in guiding their child through these steps of growth. Today's podcast offers very practical advice on moving a child from the bottle and pacifier to using an open cup. This progression should focus on advancement that does not reinforce unnatural motions that would have negative affect on other oral progress, such as speech. Be sure to check out the information on Sippy Cups in the Show Notes.

Every occupation has the tools of the trade. Whether it's the Accountant's spreadsheet and calculator or the Carpenter's hammer and level, accomplishing the task requires the right tools. For pediatric therapists, toys are an essential tool. Play facilitates speech, motor, and sensory development. However, choosing the right toys can be an expensive trial and error process.That's why our podcast host, Haden Boliek and Kjirsti Miles attend the International Toy Fair in New York every year. They spend an entire week sifting through thousands and thousands of toys to find good, durable, safe and affordable tools for therapists. Today's podcast focuses on the new and exciting sensory toys they discovered.

Like most working therapists, The Pediatric Developmental Therapy Team understands that "play is the work of children." Using toys as a tool, the therapist can accomplish the serious work of therapy with fun, interactive activities that keep the child engaged. Each year our podcast host, Haden Boliek and Kjirsti Miles attend the International Toy Fair in New York. For an entire work week they spend 12 to 16 hours a day sifting through thousands and thousands of toys. The purpose is to find good, durable, safe and affordable toys that therapists like yourself can use. Then they bring them home and try them out both in session and at home with their own children. Today's podcast will give you the benefit of all these hours of hands-on research for your therapy sessions.

Haden and fellow therapist, Kjirsti Myles, just returned from their annual trip to the Toy Fair. For five days they spend more than 12 hours a day looking, experimenting, and testing every new toy available. But this duo is not looking for toys, they are looking for ideas. As Haden always says, "It's not the toy, it's what you can get from the toy." In this episode, Haden and Kjirsti feature 5 new toys that are useful for gross motor therapy sessions. They explore how Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapists can use these toys for effective Cross-discipline therapy.