Rural pediatric services support the development of children and youth to participate in meaningful activities of daily life at home and in the community.Services support the development of children and youth to participate in meaningful activities of daily life at home and in the community. Focus is on the early years and early intervention to prevent health complications and improve long term health and wellbeing. We want to understand what's important to your child and family. Services are goal-driven; starting and continuing services is based on having functional reasons / goals for rehabilitation. Therapists will work with parents to provide the tools and strategies to apply in the context of their home and life. Therapy may look like 'play', depending on your child's age. We will work together so you and your child are supported to move to the next developmental stage or between providers and services. Services are provided by phone, zoom and in person sessions as determined by your therapist. They may be in a group or one to one. Services provided are related to (neuro) developmental conditions and / or medical conditions.
The program offers occupational therapist, physiotherapist, speech-language pathologist, and social worker (navigation) services to children and youth 0 - 18 years and their families. Services are provided for children and youth with a variety of needs, for example:
- hearing (e.g. responding to sounds, noise, voices, words)
- moving (e.g. sitting, crawling, walking, coordination)
- using hands (e.g. playing with toys, using utensils)
- taking care of self (e.g. dressing, toileting, doing chores, sleeping)
- equipment needs (e.g. wheelchair, walking aides, adaptive aides)
- physical symptoms (e.g. muscle / joint tightness, head shape, sensitivity to noise or touch)
- managing emotions (e.g. behavior, becoming overwhelmed)
- communication (e.g. understanding directions, babbling, using words and sentences)
- clear speech (e.g. being understood by others, stuttering, voice quality)
- feeding and swallowing (e.g. coughing, gagging, choking, choking, psychosocial factors impacting mealtime routines and feeding relationships, limited/restricted diet)
More advanced feeding supports are available (Okotoks location only) for babies and children with developmental, neurological, and medical conditions requiring a coordinated approach (e.g. medical instability or risk of deterioration, safety risk, aversion to oral feeding, disturbances in oral intake leading to nutrition / hydration risk).
We work closely with our pediatric rehabilitation partners to ensure referrals go to the right place and services are offered within the most appropriate program.
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