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Why Refer to High Hopes

High Hopes offers pediatric physical, occupational, speech and feeding therapies in a state-of-the-art facility custom built to serve our pediatric patients from birth to age 21 years.  Our therapists have an average of over 14 years specialized pediatric experience.  High Hopes Development Center is the only facility in Williamson County that offers both an inclusive preschool (inclusive classrooms containing both children with and without specials needs) as well as a comprehensive outpatient pediatric therapy clinic.  This combination allows for children to receive the most benefit by having their therapists and teachers work in tandem with the family and physicians to ensure consistency of care.  Click here to meet our therapy team.

PHYSICAL THERAPY

Specialized treatment is offered in the following areas:

  • Exercise for strengthening, range of motion, balance, coordination, and endurance

  • Developmental activities

  • Joint mobilization

  • Neuromuscular electrical stimulation

  • Serial Casting

  • Post-operative therapies

  • Equipment evaluations (wheelchairs, standers, walkers, etc.)

  • Orthotic evaluations and coordination (AFOs, SMOs, inserts, etc.)

  • Partial Weight Bearing Gait Training

Children who would benefit from PT may have:

  • Neuromuscular diagnoses (Cerebral Palsy, Dystonia, etc.)

  • Abnormal muscle tone (increased or decreased)

  • Orthopedic injuries or diagnoses

  • Abnormal gait (toe walking, crouched gait, etc.)

  • Muscular weakness

  • Decreased balance

  • Decreased coordination

  • Delayed developmental milestones

  • Torticollis (muscle tightness of the neck in infancy leading to abnormal posture)

  • Equipment needs

  • Bracing needs

  • Muscular tightness

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Specialized treatment is offered in the following areas:
  • Promoting age-appropriate independence in activities of daily living (i.e. eating, dressing, writing, balance)
  • Developing age-appropriate mobility, fine motor skills
  • Facilitating play behavior and developmental skills
  • Handwriting evaluations/treatment techniques
  • Parent/family instruction
  • Standardized evaluations
  • Sensory integration evaluations/treatment techniques
  • Individual treatment
  • Classroom and/or clinic-based treatment
  • Consultation with preschool teachers/caregivers

Children who can benefit from OT may have:

  • Neuromuscular diagnoses (Cerebral Palsy, Dystonia, etc.)

  • Abnormal muscle tone (increased or decreased)

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Sensory Processing difficulties (What is Sensory Processing?)

  • Handwriting difficulties

  • Delayed developmental milestones

  • Picky eating habits (difficulty tolerating different kinds/flavors/textures of food)

  • Fine motor/visual motor deficits

  • Self-care difficulties

  • Genetic Disorders

SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY

Speech and Language therapy at High Hopes addresses a variety of communication disorders including:
  • Sound production (articulation)
  • Receptive language skills (understanding and following directions)
  • Expressive language skills (putting words together, naming objects, talking about events)
  • Pragmatics (eye contact, rules of conversation)
  • Fluency (speed of speech and stuttering)
  • Augmentative and assistive communication (sign language, communication boards, electronic systems)
  • Oral-motor and feeding skills (how the parts of the mouth move for speaking and eating)

Children who can benefit from Speech Therapy may have:

  • Apraxia

  • Articulation Disorder

  • Developmental Language Delays

  • Social/Pragmatic Language Disorders

  • Autism Spectrum Disorders

  • Cognitive Delays

  • Oral-Motor Deficits

  • Dysphagia/oral feeding disorders including difficulties with eating and swallowing

  • Dysarthria

FEEDING THERAPY

Children who may benefit from feeding therapy may demonstrate:
  • Food refusal
  • Food selectivity by type
  • Food selectivity by texture
  • Dysphagia (swallowing difficulties)
  • Oral motor dysfunction
  • Recurrent vomiting
  • Failure to thrive
  • Mealtime tantrums
  • Self-feeding deficits
  • Feeding tube dependence

The most common causes of feeding and/or swallowing difficulties include:

  • Complex medical conditions related to heart, lung, and gastroesophageal diseases

  • Oral sensory and motor issues

  • Structural abnormalities, such as cleft lip or palate

  • Neuromuscular disorders

  • Prematurity

  • Developmental disabilities

  • Social emotional and environmental factors

Click here to refer a patient to High Hopes.
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