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Pediatric Rehabilitation

About pediatric rehabilitation

Working together to help your child.

Overview

Care involves children, youth, and families every step of the way. Families and healthcare providers work together to:

take part in activities that are important to them
set therapy goals and activities to help children and youth develop skills
recover from a range of health conditions

AHS offers services for children and youth who have neurodevelopmental, developmental, or medical conditions. Services focus on:

health and developmental needs of infants and children in the early years
episodic care for children and youth in the child and youth years

If you are a healthcare provider, visit Rehabilitation information for health professionals.

Pediatric rehabilitation helps children and youth live well, build resiliency and take part in activities meaningful to them and their families.

Healthcare team

AHS provides pediatric rehabilitation in community, outpatient, and specialized rehabilitation settings. The most common healthcare providers involved in care are:

Audiologists
Occupational Therapists
Physiotherapists
Speech-Language Pathologists
Therapy Assistants

Some areas may also include:

Child Life Specialist/Recreation Therapists
Early Childhood Intervention Providers
Psychologists
Respiratory Therapists
Social Workers
Spiritual Health Providers

Find community services

Pediatric rehabilitation services are offered across Alberta. They are available in each AHS zone: North, Edmonton, Central, Calgary, and South.

Contact information for pediatric rehabilitation services in your zone or community.
Find pediatric rehabilitation services near you.

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Pediatric rehabilitation areas

Services help with:

use of speech sounds
use of words to communicate thoughts and ideas
speaking smoothly and easily
how the voice sounds
understanding spoken language and listening

Rehabilitation providers often involved:

Speech-Language Pathologists
Therapy Assistants

Eating, feeding, and swallowing

Services help with:

concerns with the safety or efficiency of eating and drinking
concerns with getting enough nutrition or hydration
ability for the child to feed themselves

Rehabilitation providers often involved:

Speech-Language Pathologists
Occupational Therapists
Therapy Assistants

Equipment to support communication

Services help with:

use of equipment to help children talk and understand (i.e. strategies such as pointing to pictures or using tablets that generate speech)
this is often called Alternative & Augmentative Communication (AAC)

Rehabilitation providers often involved:

Speech-Language Pathologists
Occupational Therapists
Therapy Assistants

Equipment to support movement and function

Services help with:

need for specialized equipment such as walkers, wheelchairs, standing frames
making of splints, orthotics and specialty casting

Rehabilitation providers often involved:

Physical Therapists
Occupational Therapists
Therapy Assistants

Services help with:

screening and assessment to identify hearing loss
management of hearing loss
hearing health

Rehabilitation providers often involved:

Audiologists
Speech-Language Pathologists
Therapy Assistants

Moving and physical development

Services help with:

motor development (e.g. head control, sitting, rolling, crawling, walking, playing with toys with small parts)
movement and function
pain management
respiratory health
infant head shape and infant neck tightness

Rehabilitation providers often involved:

Physical Therapists
Occupational Therapists
Therapy Assistants

Participating in childhood activities and taking care of self

Services help with:

participation in activities typical for their development, such as play
self-care (e.g. dressing, toileting, sleeping, personal hygiene)
self/emotional regulation (e.g. difficulty with outbursts, meltdowns, becoming overwhelmed)

Rehabilitation providers often involved:

Occupational Therapists
Therapy Assistants

What to expect

We will involve you and your family every step of the way.
We will ask you what’s important to your child and family (what matters to you) e.g. daily routines, family and friends, activities you enjoy.
We will work with you to understand your child’s strengths and needs. This guides the care plan.
We will set goals together and pick activities to help achieve the goals. Goals help to keep therapy focused and help us to measure progress.
Therapy may look like ‘play’, depending on the child’s age. We will work with you to find practice activities to do at home that fit with your life.
Services may be provided in a group, one-to-one or by connecting you with resources.
You may meet with your healthcare provider in-person, by phone or videoconference.

We will ask you how the care plan is working for your child and family. We want to know if things are getting in the way of rehabilitation. For example, travel, health, other family needs.
We will work with you and other providers involved with your child and family to coordinate care.
We will talk with you about next steps. You and your child will be supported to move to the next developmental stage or between providers and services.
The length of service will vary. It is based on a child’s needs and goals, and the availability of local programs.
We will access AHS Translation/Interpretation services if they are needed.
Some services may not be provided if children and youth are already receiving supports through Alberta Education or Family Supports for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) programs.

Team-based services

Your child or youth may need help from more than one type of healthcare provider. The care team works with children, youth, and families to support participation in activities that are important to you. Working together helps everyone to focus on your biggest priority for your child and family.

Other healthcare providers who may be part of the team include:

Social Workers
Early Childhood Intervention Program
Respiratory Therapists
Psychologists
Registered Dietitians
Infant Hearing Screeners
Nurses
Physicians
Biomedical Engineers, etc.

Services we don't provide

The table below shows services not provided by AHS and the age ranges they apply to.

Ages	Services not provided by AHS
Early years *	Head shape helmet treatment (non-surgical)
Child and youth years **	Educational audiology Expressive and receptive language Literacy Learning disabilities or delays Ongoing Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) supports Accessibility and safety in school environments Gross motor skills and participation in school environments Printing, handwriting, written output, and scissor skills
All ages	Evaluation and administration of formal, standardized tests to qualify a child for non-AHS programs

* Children in the early years are eligible for health and developmental services. The early years typically include children from birth to 5 years and 11 months of age.

** Children in the child and youth years are eligible for services if they have a functional need that requires rehabilitation to participate in the home or community. Even if they’re involved in another public or private service. The child and youth years typically include children from 6 to 18 years of age.

Services for infants and children in the early years

Learn about eligible pediatric rehabilitation services from birth to 5 years, 11 months of age.

Services for children and youth

Learn about eligible pediatric rehabilitation services from 6 to 18 years of age.

Options if your child is ineligible for AHS services

Alberta Education: Consider talking to your child's school about your concerns.
Family Supports for Children with Disabilities (FSCD): Families must meet criteria to be eligible for the program.
First Nations Health Consortium: Helps families access education, health, or social programs to meet their child’s needs. The team reduces stress on families by helping them navigate provincial and federal service systems. If there is a gap in services or no program available to meet your child's needs, the team can work with your family to apply for Jordan's Principle funding.

Private practice: Families can choose to pay out of pocket or use third-party insurance to visit a private or community provider of their choice. These websites may be helpful for finding private practice therapy services:

Related information

Healthy Parents Healthy Children

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Healthier Together Schools

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Nutrition Services

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Current as of: May 21, 2024
Author: Pediatric Rehabilitation Services, Alberta Health Services

Rehabilitation Advice Line

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1-833-379-0563

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Our work takes place on historical and contemporary Indigenous lands, including the territories of Treaty 6, Treaty 7 & Treaty 8 and the homeland of the Métis Nation of Alberta and 8 Métis Settlements. We also acknowledge the many Indigenous communities that have been forged in urban centres across Alberta.