Supporting Progress and Independence in Pediatric Physical Therapy

It takes patience, practice, and consistency to help children with neurodevelopmental delays or disorders achieve sustained progress to support their growth. At Heartspring, this means creating therapeutic activities that integrate with children and families’ everyday activities — not the other way around.

When children cannot participate with their peers, they miss out on opportunities to learn, play, and grow,” Ryleigh Williams, PT, DPT, said.

Our physical therapy team helps children find ways to participate with their friends and family as independently as possible.

One of our clients in the Heartspring Pediatric Outpatient Clinic, Arionn, has difficulty walking, holding his neck up, and with muscle stiffness. After visiting other physical therapy providers offering occasional visits and limited strategies, Ariana knew her son needed more support.

For his mom, the difference Heartspring helped make was immediate. She was equipped with coaching, strategies, and encouragement to support Arionn between sessions, turning everyday routines into opportunities for progress. “They showed me a whole different light,” Ariana shared.

“Now we have someone who I know personally cares about my child and his well-being and him succeeding.”

Ariana, Arionn’s Mom 

The team’s interactive coaching style involves helping families create plans for practicing at home that revolve around daily routines. “To increase the dosage of practice for Arionn, many of his strategies included safe positioning options for feeding, mealtime, and bath time,” Williams said.

With more consistent support to build his strength and confidence, Arionn’s making incredible progress in PT sessions and at home, thanks to a gait trainer loan from the Assistive Technology of Kansas Loan Program. Our PT team helped Arionn get the gait trainer as they continue to work on getting insurance to cover his mobility device, because progress shouldn’t stop in the PT gym.

Additionally, we have the only physical therapy in Kansas with a dual specialty in pediatrics and neurology, so we are well-positioned to support children with neurodevelopmental diagnoses.

Our pediatric therapies can support children with every phase of their development, and the earlier children receive support, the better outcomes they can achieve.

“MRI results even show growth in his brain, and his improved muscle strength is helping protect his hips and spine for the future.”

Ryleigh Williams, PT, DPT — Wichita State University

Most importantly, Arionn is discovering the joy of movement — giggling as he walks to his mom and participating more fully in his environment. He’s able to keep pushing for what’s possible, and we’re here to help him every step of the way.