Pediatric Therapy Network

Posted @withregram @educationalinsights Finding gratitude in the day

High fives for good vibes. Happy Wednesday!

In observance of Memorial Day, PTN will be closed on Monday, May 31.

Join us in welcoming our latest group of Physical and Occupational Therapy students to PTN! During their internships, they will gain experience with treatment planning, evaluation, and clinical reasoning under a therapist’s supervision. PTN will provide them with opportunities for a hands-on experience that prepares them for the working world. We look forward to having students with us year-round and remain rooted in our commitment to training the next generation of therapists. Welcome to PTN!

We heart our PTN family! We did it! Thanks to YOU, we surpassed our goal of $250,000 for our matching campaign and raised $270,000+ in just six months! We can't thank you enough for helping us reach this memorable milestone. With your support, PTN is striding into year 25 of serving children and families. From all of us at PTN, thank you for your generosity and Happy Valentine's Day!

PTN will be closed Monday, February 15th in honor of President's Day. We will resume normal business hours on Tuesday the 16th.

Need some at-home activities for the long weekend? PTN's early intervention staff created Valentine's Day themed activities that support a range of developmental skills. http://bit.ly/2Ouqtsx

Sing "You Are My Sunshine" with your friends at PTN!

In our social skills and community integration program called Buddy Club, we teach kids social skills to stand up for themselves confidently. One of the strategies we use is called "Brave Talk," which describes the type of voice, facial expression, and body language used to express a want or need confidently or to stand up for yourself. Using Brave Talk involves: A serious face (not mean or silly) A serious voice (not too loud, soft, silly, or whiney) Body language (bod...y facing the other person with shoulders down, posture straight, and head up with eyes looking at the person you are talking to) A calm body Good personal space When you start to act bravely, you begin to feel brave, which can improve self-confidence levels. Brave Talk can be used when ordering from a menu, telling someone your opinion, asking to take a turn or join a game, asking for help, or standing up for yourself or others. If someone is doing something that you don't like, such as bullying you or someone else, Brave Talk is a tool you can use to tell them how it makes you feel and that you would like them to stop. By using Brave Talk, it often helps us feel braver and more confident, which can also prevent kids from becoming victims of bullying. Click the link to learn more about our social skills and community integration programs. https://pediatrictherapynetwork.org/services/socialskills/

It's World Occupational Therapy Day! This year's theme is 'Reimagine Doing,' a relevant message for a year when we have all been required to re-evaluate, re-think, and re-engineer how we engage in our daily activities. At PTN, our occupational therapists facilitate children's participation in activities such as playing, learning, and socializing with friends so that they can interact in everyday environments at home, school, and in the community. We appreciate our occupational therapists and all they do for the children and families at PTN! #WorldOTday

Today is the 24th, and we would like to share a milestone moment in celebration of PTN’s 24th Anniversary! Meet Jonny Pierce. He’s outgoing, happy, loves to laugh and be silly. It can be difficult for Jonny to make conversations, but he tries to engage with others the best he can. He will be turning 27 years young in just a few weeks and enjoys golfing, playing volleyball, riding trains, and is a very talented artist. Fun facts: Jonny knows everything about Disney and remem...bers everyone’s birthday! Jonny was one of PTN’s first clients back in the late ’90s, and today he is a record-breaking swimmer! Jonny has qualified to be a part of the US National Paralympic swim team for the past four years. Fortunately, he got back to swim practice in June and is getting back to where he was before the pandemic closed all his swim activities. Jonny will be going to the US Trials in Minnesota next June and hopes to compete in the 2021 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Some of his team members refer to Jonny as the heartbeat of the team, and his strong work ethic makes others want to work harder too. His dad Tim shares, I know as parents when Jonny was young, my wife Irene and I never thought he would develop into the person he is today. It’s hard to believe that 24 years ago, Jonny was coming to PTN for physical therapy every week, and to see him now still amazes us. Jonny made great strides working at PTN, and we will forever be grateful. We will be rooting for Jonny to represent us in the 2021 games in Tokyo! Join us in celebrating Jonny and all of our inspirational alumni by supporting our 24th Anniversary Matching Fund Challenge. Please help us reach our goal by donating or spreading the word about this exciting opportunity for PTN, link is below. #MilestoneMoments #PTNis24 https://www.classy.org/ca/24th-anniversary-campaign/c298067 See more

Meet Lincoln, a happy and energetic three-year-old with an infectious smile and laugh. His current favorite past times are water play, coloring, and watching Bubble Guppies. Lincoln has been a part of the PTN family for over a year and loves when his occupational therapist Michael sings to him. Lincoln's parents have a new appreciation for his therapists since switching to telehealth and have witnessed firsthand the staff's investment in seeing children thrive. Throughout hi...s time at PTN, Lincoln's strength and control of his body have improved dramatically. Lincoln worked hard to go up and down the stairs unassisted, a goal he just accomplished last week! October is Down syndrome Awareness Month, and Lincoln's parents shared, "People with Down syndrome have hopes and dreams like everyone else. Our son wants to run and play like any other kid. Yes, they're a little different, but there's a beauty in those differences that we wouldn't have seen if it wasn't for our little guy." October is a time to celebrate Lincoln and all individuals with Down syndrome by making people aware of their abilities and accomplishments! #downsyndromeawarenessmonth #downsyndromeawareness

You may have seen someone use sign language to communicate. You may have seen someone point to pictures or push buttons on a computer that speaks for them. These are all forms of augmentative and alternative communication or AAC. Our client Inaya is working hard with her speech therapist and her mother to learn how to use a speech-generating device. Inaya was recently upset at home. Instead of guessing what was wrong, her mother asked her to use her device, and Inaya produced, "hungry." Even though the food wasn't ready yet, Inaya calmed down and looked at ease, knowing that her mother understood how she felt. October is AAC Awareness Month. A time to celebrate Inaya and share the many different ways in which people communicate using AAC! #AACawarenessmonth #AACaware20 #AACawareness

Sing-a-long to "Wheels on the Bus" with some of our early intervention staff!

Have fun threading with PTN client Io! Threading helps with bilateral coordination which is the ability to use both sides of the body at the same time. You can use items around your house like yarn and beads!

Join us in welcoming our Fall fieldwork students to PTN! Kimberly and Margie are occupational therapy students from Cal State University Dominguez Hills and Jacy is a physical therapy student from University of St. Augustine. They can be seen around PTN in therapy sessions or participating in telehealth. Welcome to PTN!

In celebration of Physical Therapy Month, check out these tips to improve sitting posture including ways to correct your child's W-sitting! In addition to the video, click the link for our Pediatric Sitting Guide for Parents. https://pediatrictherapynetwork.org//Pediatric-Sitting-Gui #PTmonth #PhysicalTherapy

We are celebrating 24 years of serving children and families with 24 weeks of virtual events and opportunities to celebrate our anniversary. Join us for our virtual community wine tasting on October 4th! What: Virtual Tasting featuring Wine Sommelier and winemaker from Sextant Winery. When: Sunday, October 4, 2020, at 5:30 pm with Sextant winemaker featuring a bottle of their Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Cost is $65 (includes three bottles).... Wine for Tasting: You can have the wines shipped to your home directly, or you can pick them up from Free Run Juice’s Redondo Beach location. Optional Food Pairings: Not included in the tasting, but an excellent way to complete the evening. Gaetano's Restaurant and Red Car Brewery in Torrance are creating specials that will pair nicely with the wine featured in this tasting. Specials will be available to order one day before the tasting. Click the link to register! https://www.freerunjuicewine.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=2000 All of these partners will donate a percentage of proceeds back to PTN! Questions? Contact Robin Lomas at [email protected].

THANK YOU to everyone who participated in our Long Beach Gives fundraiser, an online campaign that inspired the community to give to over 150 nonprofits around Long Beach. Not only did we surpass our goal from last year, but we also won a prize for having the most team members on our Long Beach Gives webpage! Plus, a generous donor matched all the money raised during Long Beach Gives as part of our 24th Anniversary Campaign! We are so thankful for our amazing community for your ongoing support.

We can't do it without you! There's still time to double your impact and help PTN reach our $10,000 goal through Long Beach Gives, an online fundraising campaign that provides nonprofits the opportunity to share their stories and build relationships with the community. Thanks to all of you who created a fundraising page...we just won a prize for having the most peer fundraisers! Let's keep the momentum going! Today is the last day to donate and every dollar makes a bi...g impact on the lives of the children and families we serve. Plus, every donation will be doubled as part of our 24th Anniversary Matching Campaign. Thank you for your continued support! https://donate.longbeachgives.org/pediatric-therapy-network