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Pediatric
Rehab
Here’s how Southwest General helps developmentally delayed kids get back on track.
by KenMcEntee
Contributing Writer
T
racy and Paul Roesch knew nine
weeks into their pregnancy that
they were in for more than the
usual challenge of parenting a
newborn. Alex, their now almost threeyear old, experiences global developmental
delays—a combination of physical and
neurological delays.
A developmental delay is defined by a
child’s failure to reach a developmental
milestone—like sitting up, or crawling—
within two standard deviations of the usual
time.
“We knew early on that some developmental
issues were going on, and as the pregnancy
progressed we knew that Alex had a heart
condition that would require surgery and that
there was a high probability that he would be
developmentally disabled,” Tracy recalls.
Tracy and Paul still aren’t quite sure of
the cause of Alex’s developmental delays.
Their doctors say his condition is related
to a syndrome that they have yet to fully
diagnose.
“We’re working with six different
specialists for different things, like cardiology,
ophthalmology,
urology—if there is an
‘ology’ after it, we’re
pretty much doing it,”
Tracy says.
An important part
of Alex’s treatment
is physical therapy (PT) at LifeWorks
of Southwest General and at Southwest
General’s Brunswick Medical Center.
Physical therapists and PT assistants,
including Jamie Kopacz, work with children
to advance their physical skills as closely as
possible to a normal timetable.
“Our goal is to close the gap of the delay
as much as possible, but also to work at the
child’s pace,” Jamie explains. “We don’t
push them when they’re not ready.”
Since April, Alex had been going to weekly
45-minute physical therapy sessions to work
on his ability to sit up and crawl on his own.
In mid-June, Jamie sensed that Alex was on
the verge of a breakthrough and ramped up
the program to three times a week.
“In the last few weeks, Alex has made
huge progress,” Tracy says. “He has been
able to be stable on his hands and knees in
the crawling position, and he is getting the
crawling motion underway.”
Increasing the frequency and intensity of
his sessions may be the boost needed to help
Alex reach his goals, Jamie believes.
“We’ll push him through the milestone,
then we’ll probably give him a little break
before we move on to the next thing,” she
explains.
That next step, Tracy hopes, could be
walking.
Since April, Alex had been
going to weekly 45-minute
physical therapy sessions to
work on his ability to sit up
and crawl on his own.
She says the physical therapy at Southwest
General has been “fantastic.”
“They concentrate on more than just
Alex’s physical condition,” she says. “They
support all of the other things we’re working
with him on, like cognitive development.
All of the therapy is done from a standpoint
of play. They use different toys to work
different muscle groups and to help in brain
development.”
The therapy is not only beneficial, she
says, but convenient as well.
“The great thing about Southwest is that
they work around our schedules,” Tracy
says. “My husband and I both work full time
and we’re busy with two kids. We can go to
the Brunswick or the Middleburg Heights
locations, and they all communicate and
are on the same page. During the sessions,
Alex gets a huge amount of development
opportunity, and I am part of that. It is very
collaborative. The therapists work with us
and show us things we can do at home. And
they don’t try things just one way. They try
different approaches and adjust to his mood
and physical abilities to get the outcome they
are looking for.”
Therapy has long been offered at
Southwest General, but now in addition
to the LifeWorks location, the service has
expanded to the Brunswick Medical Center
in April making it more convenient for a
greater number of patients and families.
For more information on Pediatric
Rehabilitation or to schedule an appointment,
call 440-816-8010. Flexible hours include
day and evening appointments.