Infant rehabilitation services in the NICU
Premature infants are cared for every day at our NICUs, where highly trained professionals use sophisticated procedures and technology to treat fragile infants and provide support for their families during a difficult time.
Meeting the needs of our youngest patients
Our rehab teams at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) include occupational and physical therapy specialists, who provide early therapeutic intervention to improve the developmental outcomes of premature infants.
Our experienced therapists provide evaluation, treatment, team consultation and family teaching for preterm and high-risk infants. They also address neurobehavioral organization, sensory and motor processing and daily life activities, such as feeding.
Services
Our therapists will provide your newborn a variety of services in the NICU, including:
Assess oral motor abilities of newborns with cleft lips and palates and instruct parents in adapted feeding techniques
Assess swallowing function in infants with history of wet-sounding respirations during feeding and inability to wean off oxygen
Create hand splints for newborns with finger and wrist contractures
Evaluate oral motor and neuromotor functioning in infants with breastfeeding difficulty
Guide parents of preterm infants with feeding-induced apnea and bradycardia in observation of child's respiration and color during feeding, and teach when to provide external pacing
Instruct mothers of preterm infants in positioning and oral facilitation techniques to optimize latch during early breastfeeding
Instruct parents in passive range of motion and positioning guidelines for their infant with birth-related brachial plexus injuries
Link parents of infants at risk for developmental delays with community-based early intervention and therapy services