Rapha Physical Therapy

Hi everyone! Rapha Physical Therapy in Montclair, California has started a Social Skills Club for kids ages 2-21 and above and it's EPIC! Please call us at 909-971-3092 for more information and to sign up. And HURRY! Spaces are filling quickly.

What do Rapha’s graduates go on to achieve? Well, for our Sophia, she went on to be selected to rock the runway in a designer gown recently at LA Fashion Week. Way to go, sweetheart! Thanks to her dedicated mother and some aggressive physical therapy she was able to do the catwalk like a BOSS! We’re so proud of you! Keep doing great things!! #rapharocks #physiotherapy #pt #ot #downsyndrome #specialneeds #specialneedsparent #rocktherunway #youarebeautiful #worlddownsyndromeday2019 #worlddownsyndromeday

We had so much fun at the Abilities Expo last week! It was awesome meeting everyone! We sincerely want to say thank you for stopping by our booth and making everything such a huge section success! Our Intensive Therapy Program rocks! We have one more slot left for our session starting the second week of July! #rapharocks #physiotherapy #physicaltherapy #occupationaltherapy #abilitiesexpo #thankyou #intensivetherapy

Fine motor skills (or finger dexterity) and visual motor skills are the coordination of small muscles in action with the eyes. These skills require the use of smaller muscle groups to perform intricate movements with the wrists, hands, and fingers. By the time a child is one year old their fine motor skills have developed to allow the manipulation of objects with greater intent. As children get older they learn to manipulate objects with a purpose, they gain experience identi...fying various objects based on the size, weight, and shape. By participating in hands-on play, children learn that some objects are small and difficult to pick up and can easily slip through the cracks of our fingers; that some are heavier and require more energy to handle them; and that other objects are a piece of a bigger object and can come apart and be put back together again. This type of play is imperative for the perfection of not only fine motor skills but also very importantly cognition and brain development and growth! Similarly, in fine motor play they mature their sensory awareness, understand their environment by using their senses, and learn how to manage movements based on that. Here we have Nathan who is working on fine motor activities. These activities only require a piece of paper, pushpin, old teddy bear stuffing, and an empty box. Tape a piece of paper with a design made out of dots on the box and have the child utilize the pushpin to optimize their fine pincer grasp! Ensure they do not raise their elbow, as that would allow them to utilize their arm and shoulder muscles, and we want stronger hands! Next, make a small hole into the box and ask the child to push the stuffing through the hole into the box. Easily upgrade this by having children beat their fastest time or instructing them to utilize only specific fingers at a time. And of course have fun with it! #occupationaltherapy #occupationaltherapist #occupationaltherapyassistant #cota #physiotherapy #physicaltherapy #physicaltherapist #physicaltherapyassistant #pta #speechtherapy #speechtherapist #speechlanguagepathology #slpa #finemotorskills #finemotorplay #stronghands #pediatrics #rapharocks

Many children run away from the sight of a toothbrush. However, for children with Autism and sensory issues, this can be even more of a struggle. There are many different reasons for a child’s aversion to tooth brushing. There can be hyposensitivity, which means little or no awareness of what is going on in their mouth. On the other side of the coin, they can be hypersensitive and overly alert to any type of oral stimulus. The slightest input can be overwhelming and received ...as ‘painful’. There are many ways to approach this task, whether it be change the flavor of toothpaste, change to non-foaming toothpaste, or remove toothpaste temporarily from the equation all together! On the other hand, changing to softer or firmer bristles, or change to a three-sided toothbrush, our Occupational Therapists will conduct an activity analysis and target the specific need. Here we have Robert who has not yet welcomed the toothbrush into his mouth, (video taken three weeks ago) so our therapist has decided to make the activity fun and let him brush model teeth first! Robert has since welcomed the toothbrush in his mouth with tiny amounts of toothpaste on the bristle (to acquaint him with the taste first) and will slowly start adding more and more. Wow, way to go Robert! #rapharocks #occupationaltherapy #occupationaltherapist #occupationaltherapyassistant #physicaltherapy #physicaltherapist #physicaltherapyassistant #speechpathology #speechtherapy #ot #cota #pt #pta #slpa #pediatrics #autism #asd #therapy #sensoryprocessingdisorder #sensoryplay #brushingteeth See more