Physiotherapy Blog

My child with Autism is clumsy and falling a lot: Physiotherapy can help?

If your child with a diagnosis of Autism is clumsy and falling a lot they may have difficulties with their motor control. Physiotherapy can help your child with Autism, often including working on balance, strength, sensory awareness of their bodies, coordinating their movements for play and being active in their environments. Physiotherapy will develop a program tailored to your child's needs that you can follow at home or in the park. Physiotherapy can follow you with a ser

Dr. Janet Hale

Oct 212 min read

Best Physiotherapy Training for Children with Cerebral Palsy

In physiotherapy, I train children with different special needs including cerebral palsy, developmental delays, complex medical needs, spina bifida and others. I work to make sure the child achieves their optimal level of motor performance. I was just reading an article on the best way to train motor tasks in children with cerebral palsy. Is is better to train for the tasks that the child is interested in learning, i.e. their goals, or to train different components of the tas

Dr. Janet Hale

Oct 202 min read

Updates in Pediatric Physiotherapy - Traffic Lights for best practice in Cerebral Palsy

Did you know that there is a traffic light protocol - on what physiotherapist SHOULD do and shouldn't do for the treatment of infants and children with cerebral palsy, best practice in physiotherapy in cerebral palsy. According to an updated article in 2020 by Novak and others, we are getting much better at medical intervention in the Neonatal Intensive Care, including paying attention to parents and making sure they get lots of time with their infants. We are also getting be

Dr. Janet Hale

Nov 25, 20243 min read

Updates in Pediatric Physiotherapy - Training Motor Movements

Hi everyone! I'm just back from the American Pediatric Physical Therapy Conference in Rhode Island and they were reminding us about how what to focus on in training new motor movements like crawling, walking, balancing, climbing etc. The most important concept is that the infant or child do the motor movement themselves or actively - that is what creates motor learning and develops the brain circuitry. Training motor movements has to be fun, something the child is interested

Dr. Janet Hale

Nov 25, 20242 min read

Updates in Pediatric Physiotherapy - Torticollis Infant Exercises - 2024

Hi everyone! I'm just back from the Annual American Pediatric Physical Therapy conference in Rhode Island. They've updated what physiotherapists should be doing with infants with torticollis and plagiocephaly (head flattening) - torticollis infant exercises - including making sure we educate new and expectant parents on the importance of supervised tummy time 2-3x /day, making sure your infant has full movements throughout the body and prevent only using one side of the body

Dr. Janet Hale

Nov 25, 20242 min read

Tips from PACE Physio, Infant Physiotherapy, on the KEY milestones of motor development in the first year of life?

Important Motor Milestones: In pediatric physiotherapy, I am often asked by parents what are the important motor milestones in that first year and when should they get concerned. Generally infants learn to lift their head up and begin to tolerate tummy-time by 2 - 3 months, control their head in all positions by 4 months, roll from their back to their tummy by 6 months, sit independently without falling over by 7 months, crawl on all fours by 9 months, get up to standing a

Dr. Janet Hale

Jun 3, 20213 min read

Tips from PACE Physio - Why would my infant or child see a pediatric physiotherapist?

Dr. Janet Hale

May 16, 20212 min read