Care for Developmental and Neurological Disorders

A helping hand—Therapy has helped Alexis Blum of Whitehall, Pa., overcome her challenges with cerebral palsy.

It can be overwhelming and challenging if your baby is not developing normally or your child has seizures, frequent and severe headaches or other special developmental needs. Our specialists can help. You don’t have to travel far to get the best care for your child.

Care for Developmental Problems

If your baby is not reaching his motor milestones—rolling, sitting, crawling and walking—it may be a sign of a developmental problem. Our pediatric neurologist and Pediatric Outpatient Rehabilitation Services can work with you, your child and your pediatrician on special developmental needs.

Our Pediatric Outpatient Rehabilitation Services features a team of physical, occupational and speech therapists who focus on specific milestones.

• A physical therapist works on trunk control, balance and range of motion.
• An occupational therapist works with "fine motor skills" like dressing, eating and handwriting.
• A speech therapist works on speech, swallowing and breathing.

The rehabilitation team also assists children who have difficulty eating, swallowing and talking. They help care for more serious conditions like cerebral palsy, spina bifida, low muscle tone (hypotonia), sensory integrative disorder, and a deformity of the neck (torticollis). Children born prematurely who receive care in our neonatal intensive care unit or who have suffered traumatic brain injuries or strokes may also need this special care.

Care for Headaches, Seizures and Other Neurological Conditions

If your child has frequent or severe headaches, talk to your pediatrician or family medicine doctor to find out if they could be caused by something simple like allergies or whether your child needs to see a specialist.

Our pediatric neurologist specializes in problems related to the brain, spine and nervous system including headaches, twitches, epilepsy and other seizure disorders.

Care for Down Syndrome

If your child has Down Syndrome, we can help. This genetic disorder, caused by an extra chromosome, occurs once in every 800 to 1,000 births and affects about 350,000 Americans. This diagnosis can be devastating, but take comfort in knowing most people with Down Syndome are capable of living independently and working.

The Eastern Pennsylvania Down Syndrome Center is a great resource as well for children and their parents. The Center's medical director is a pediatrician at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network who has cared for children with Down Syndrome since 1982. Physicians evaluate your child, develop a plan of care and therapy and provide education and resources for you.

Does Your Child Need Surgery?

We have the area's only pediatric surgeons. Learn more about the surgeries we offer here, close to home. More >>

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