OGDENSBURG -- RiverLedge Health Care and Rehabilitation Center now offers outpatient therapy services for children who demonstrate a need for physical, speech or occupational therapy.

Physical therapy services for children are designed to promote strong motor and balance skills such as sitting, crawling, walking, running, jumping, hopping, squatting, throwing and catching a ball, or doing sit-ups and push-ups.

The overall goal of physical therapy is to enhance the child’s developmental skills, processing and overall learning.

Speech therapy for children involves finding the causes and cures of speech impediments and deficiencies. These problems involve the language, understandability, fluency and volume of speech in children, and can also include difficulties with swallowing.

Most of the time, the speech therapist will address problems with children that are below the learning curve as a result of missing key developmental milestones. Other times the problems are mechanical, such as problems with one or many different sounds.

Occupational therapy helps improve visual and perception skills, cognition, processing the senses, and fine motor skills, as well as assisting the child with developing life skills, achieving independence, enhancing self-esteem and maintaining a sense of accomplishment.

The occupational therapist may have the child practice writing, cutting, grasping and releasing objects, stringing beads, playing memory games, or copying words written on a sheet of paper.

Whether it’s physical, speech and/or occupational therapy, no child will progress unless he or she feels comfortable with the therapist.

The RiverLedge Therapy Department strives to provide comprehensive therapy using a variety of techniques that are specifically aimed to improve the child’s success with communication, peer activities, fine and gross motor and self help skills.

All programs are tailored towards the child’s individual needs, are kid-friendly, educational, fun and are provided in a positive, safe environment.

For more information on the Children Therapy Services at RiverLedge call 393-0730 or visit www.unitedhelpers.org.