Physical Therapist walking alongside pediatric patient on a bike outside

Pediatric Rehabilitation

A Personal Approach to Pediatric Rehabilitation

Helen Hayes Hospital is a national leader in the provision of superior physical rehabilitation services. Our patients benefit from a level of expertise unmatched for effectiveness and efficiency.

Children with physical and cognitive disabilities, as well as developmental delays, receive an expanded level of care in a dedicated outpatient children’s rehabilitation center, which includes a comprehensive sensory gym. The sensory gym includes a rock climbing wall, monkey bars, bikes, and other equipment tailored to our young patients. In addition, functional electrical stimulation is now available for children. All pediatric physical therapy and occupational therapy is customized to meet a child’s physical and developmental needs.

Who Can Benefit

The need for children’s physical therapy and children’s occupational therapy may arise from a chronic or congenital illness, a traumatic or repetitive injury, or an orthopedic or neurological disorder. Our therapists treat children two weeks through sixteen years of age with a wide range of conditions, including:

  • Cerebral palsy
  • Stroke
  • Amputation
  • Cognitive Disorders
  • Developmental delays
  • Muscular Dystrophy
  • Torticollis
  • Spinal Cord Injury
  • Concussion
  • Sports injuries
  • Trauma and fractures
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Traumatic Brain Injury

Our Pediatric Rehab Staff

The Pediatric Rehabilitation service is staffed by a diverse team of highly skilled and licensed physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech language pathologists specializing in pediatric rehabilitation. Our pediatric therapists excel at evaluating a child’s capabilities and developing an individualized treatment plan.

Therapy Services

A physical therapist, occupational therapist, and/or speech language pathologist will perform a thorough evaluation to assess physical impairments and functional limitations due to strength, mobility, balance, oral-motor function, communication skills, activities of daily living, sensory integration dysfunction, and cognitive/linguistic deficits. Working closely with parents and caregivers, treatment goals will be established. Each child will be assigned a therapist who will work with them one-on-one for the course of treatment, gauging progress and adjusting therapy as needed.

In addition, all pediatric patients have access to specialized services within the physical rehabilitation hospital that may complement their therapeutic program. The Hospital’s Prosthetic Orthotic Center offers infant cranial remolding helmets to correct plagiocephaly. The hospital offers augmentative/alternative communication services, as well as a variety of assistive technology and specialized wheelchair services, which can be tailored to the needs of school children with disabilities. The focus of these services is to identify and provide adaptive interventions that reduce the barriers to academic progress related to a child’s sensory, physical, or learning disability.

The Herbert and Edythe Kurz Accessible Playground: The Helen Hayes Hospital Foundation received a grant from the Kurz Family Foundation to construct an accessible playground on the hospital campus. The Herbert and Edythe Kurz Accessible Playground offers traditional and adapted equipment modified to accommodate children with physical, cognitive, and developmental disabilities. The playground incorporates features such as wide spaces and pathways for easier maneuvering and wheelchair access, ADA seating, and safety rubber surfaces. It is important for children of all abilities to be able to benefit from outdoor play and this playground offers our young patients added therapeutic benefits.

Program Admissions

Referrals are accepted from physicians and other healthcare professionals. Located in New York’s Hudson Valley, we are convenient to New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. For additional information, or to make an appointment, call: 845-786-4194.

"You gave me the help I needed to recover and rebuild my confidence in myself to handle the challenges I’m about to embark on for the rest of my life." 

For more information, please contact 
Helen Hayes Hospital Outpatient Scheduling: 

1-888-70-REHAB ext. 4194
845-786-4194