POULSBO — For children with autism, cerebral palsy, or Down syndrome, it can be a struggle just to walk or speak. One new business in Poulsbo is trying to lessen that struggle for children in North Kitsap.
Pediatric Therapy Specialists, a division of the nation-wide Physiotherapy Associates, opened July 1 on Lincoln Road. The small staff has more than 40 combined years of experience in pediatric therapy and has already started seeing several patients.
Catherine Whiting, who is the business’ director and occupational therapist, has been a therapist for two decades, serving the last seven years in the Bainbridge Island School District. She opened Pediatric Therapy Specialists to treat another kind of child.
“I wanted to see some of the kids who didn’t qualify for physical therapy (in the school system),” Whiting said. “There are a few kids who fall through the cracks.”
Whiting added that students will often get great physical therapy in the schools — but that therapy tends to focus on school-related activities, such as teaching a child how to write.
“I direct therapy for what the parents need in home and family life,” said Whiting. “It’s for the child and family to be confident with the skills they have.”
Families in Kitsap County, Whiting said, often have to travel to Seattle for therapy; she hopes the new business can give them a closer option.
Whiting and speech therapist Mary Jensen works with a child in sessions between a half-hour and an hour. They will help the child learn to better control and command his or her motor functions with several different activities and games.
As an example, Whiting points to a blue line taped on the floor of the business. She said children with disorders often can’t get their bodies to do what they want; Whiting will lead them along the blue line, asking, “What do we do next?” The question helps the child learn to anticipate and refine physical movement.
Jensen, the speech therapist, works with children on their verbal skills, whether it’s speaking or writing.
“The ability is there, but often it doesn’t come naturally,” said Jensen. “It’s like learning to play the piano. You have to practice.”
Whiting and Jensen, along with office manager Colleen Trivers, offer services including evaluation, intervention and consultation for fine motor skills (skills with the hands), gross motor skills (skills with the body), receptive language development, expressive language development and visual-perception skills.
They will also consult with the child’s school to get a better handle on the skills her or she needs.
“Therapy doesn’t solve problems,” said Whiting. “It helps family and kids work with their problems the best they can.”
Right now, the business is open three days a week but owners hope to expand to five days.
