King's Daughters' Health

BUILDING BETTER LIVES for Children THE BIG AND LOUD APPROACH TO TREATING PARKINSON'S King's Daughters' Health offers pediatric physical, speech and occupational therapies, delivered by staff with the training and experience necessary for working with children. SPECIALIZED REHABILITATION SERVICES can address a wide variety of problems, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism and cerebral palsy, that might interfere with a child's physical or intellectual development. "Unlike adults, children who need rehab often have problems that require long-term attention," says Letha Harding, PTA, Director of Rehab Services at KDH. "Therefore, we establish long-term goals that will help them lead normal lives, in many cases working to develop skills rather than restore them, as we would with an adult." Our physical therapists help children overcome muscle disease, head injuries, genetic disorders and other conditions that restrict physical movements. Our speech therapists work to correct a variety of speech disorders, such as stuttering or apraxia, a condition in which the brain has difficulty producing the muscle movements to create speech. They also treat nonspeech problems, such as dysphagia, a disorder that makes it hard to swallow food. Occupational therapy involves helping children master everyday activities. For example, an occupational therapist might use sensory integration to help children who experience extreme sensitivity and reactions to bright light, loud noises or unfamiliar textures. All therapists work together to develop integrated care plans and deliver care in one location. ■ For more about pediatric therapy services at KDH, visit www.kdhmadison.org, select "Services," then "Rehab" and then "Pediatric Care." Letha Harding, PTA Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) uses a pair of intense therapies for improving the physical and vocal abilities of patients with Parkinson's disease. LSVT LOUD AND LSVT Big focus on exaggerating speaking volume and physical movements, respectively, in order to help people with Parkinson's speak and move more naturally. "LSVT has been developed and tested for 20 years with funding from the National Institutes of Health, so it's a very well-studied and researched program," says Letha Harding, PTA, Director of Rehab Services at King's Daughters' Health. "We're fortunate to have a physical therapist and speech therapist in that specialty." Parkinson's patients tend to speak quietly and mumble. LSVT Loud teaches them to speak loudly, not during everyday conversation but as a therapeutic method of improving intelligibility and self-confidence. LSVT Big employs a similar approach for limb movement. "With Parkinson's patients, their entire world becomes very small," says Lindsay Black, MPT, Staff Physical Therapist at KDH. "Every movement feels normal, but their brain tells them it's too big so they make everything smaller. We want to recalibrate their brains, so even though movement feels abnormal, it's a normal movement." ■ Learn more about LSVT and other physical therapy services at KDH by visiting www.kdhmadison.org, selecting "Services" and then "Rehabilitation Services." London McCollum Vital Signs // a publication of King's Daughters' Health 7

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