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occupational therapist may give you different types of splints to help manage tone in your child’s arms and
hands. If there is too much tone in an arm or hand, your child may need a splint to stretch the muscles or to
position the hand so that he can use it.
Dysphagia
Dysphagia is trouble swallowing. The speech-language pathologist may suggest ways to change your child’s
diet to make it easier for him to swallow. Changing the texture of food may make swallowing easier.
Changing head position may make swallowing safer for your child.
Muscle weakness
Muscle weakness is the loss of strength and power needed for normal movement. This usually affects your
child’s posture and head control, and his arms and legs. The occupational and physical therapists will suggest
play activities and exercises suited to your child’s age to help regain strength.
The occupational therapist will focus mostly on upper body strength, and the physical therapist will work
mostly on lower body strength. For example, the therapist will encourage you to allow time for your child to
take part in activities such as moving in and out of bed and engaging in play suited to his age. If your child
has weak ankles or foot muscles that may cause him to trip or fall, his physical therapist may suggest
orthotics. Orthotics are supports that make the ankle and foot stable. They are usually custom-made to fit your
child.
Mobility and walking
Mobility is the ability to move around. One of the main goals of physical therapy is making sure that your
child can move around from one area to another for play and other activities. Safety is the main concern when
teaching a child to move around and walk. To keep from hurting weak muscles and to prevent falls, your child
will need to have good strength and control of his trunk, arms, and legs before walking. The physical therapist
will work closely with you to see if your child will need a walking aid when it is safe for him to move around
on his own. By providing support, a walking aid helps your child walk safely while lowering the amount of
effort it takes to walk. The types of walking aids most often used are:
Forward-rolling walkers – used if your child has less strength and balance; and
Posterior-rolling walkers – used if your child tends to lean too far forward or cannot safely control a
forward-rolling walker.
Visual motor integration
Visual motor integration is how well your child’s hands (motor coordination) and eyes (visual perception)
work together. It also involves how your child’s brain uses information from his hands and eyes to let him
interact with the world. These skills are very important to helping him succeed in many childhood tasks,
especially handwriting. Other thinking skills such as attention, motor planning, and your child’s sense of
where his body is in space also help him to use his hands and eyes together.
This document is not intended to take the place of the care and attention of your personal physician or other professional medical services. Our
aim is to promote active participation in your care and treatment by providing information and education. Questions about individual health
concerns or specific treatment options should be discussed with your physician.
Copyright © 2013 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital www.stjude.org Page 4 of 5
Revised 2/13