Physiotherapy and Children

The physiotherapy team in St. Josephs work with school age children (6yrs – 18yrs) in the service, from North Cork, helping them to develop their physical and motor skills so that they can reach their full potential.

We help children move and be active in the best way possible and we help to reduce any problems that may occur as they grow and develop. This can be very exciting and challenging time for some children and their family’s moving from preschool into primary and then on into secondary school.

Whether starting in mainstream school or in a specialist school (such as Holy Family School – link to holy family school) some children will still continue to need the support of our physiotherapists, as part of the overall Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT).

At this stage in your child’s development, as physio’s, our main focus is on function.

How well does a child function in the school and home environment?

We discuss with you as parents/guardians if they are having any issues getting around the school and home, sitting at their desk for classroom time and/or homework, and very importantly how do they manage with the level of physical activity at school.

We as physiotherapists, working closely with the rest of the MDT, want to empower and facilitate all children to participate in activities with their peers, providing supports and advice where needed.

We aim to promote mobility, strength, flexibility, balance and co-ordination.

As with Early Intervention some treatment programmes may also involve the introduction of adaptive equipment, such as orthotics, Lycra garments, standers and walkers
In designing our therapy programmes we try to incorporate the activities/exercises into everyday activities, such as bathing, dressing, meal times, sport & activity based therapy, ball skills, swimming etc…

Our Ethos and Values

The ethos and values of the Physiotherapists in St. Joseph’s are based around a family centered approach, it has been proven, extensively, that the most effective way to ensure a child’s, well-being is to provide services that engage, involve, strengthen, and support families.

We actively encourage all families to play a central role in your child’s therapy. We will look for you as their parents, guardians, brothers, sisters, relatives to all be involved.

Specialist Services for School Age Children

Once a month the Physiotherapy Department manages an orthotic clinic, at which, we work closely with a team of clinical specialist orthotists from APOS in the assessment, supply and monitoring of a range of orthotics for the children who attend St. Joseph’s Foundation.

We work closely with Enable Ireland when developing care plans for some children, who may require a more detailed level of monitoring. We use their clinical expertise and their direct access to specialist practitioners to best manage your child’s hips and spine. This is an essential “link in” with specialists in this area, as the hip and spinal joints, may in some cases, need some extra support to ensure they develop in correct alignment.