Pediatric and Adolescent Rehabilitation Services
Our Rehabilitation Philosophy
The Pediatric and Adolescent Program of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) provides rehabilitation for children and adolescents from birth through the age of eighteen who have learning and/or physical disabilities resulting from illness, injury or congenital causes. At RIC, a child or adolescent with a disability is, first and foremost, a child or adolescent. RIC provides the most effective rehabilitation services available to the whole child, taking into account age, disability, preferences and family. The philosophy of our professional staff is always to focus on the whole picture to ensure that the treatment program meets the unique needs of each child.
RIC treats a wide range of conditions. The following is a list of some of the physical and developmental conditions treated in the program:
Inpatient, Outpatient and Day Rehabilitation Services
RIC offers rehabilitation for children and adolescents on an inpatient, outpatient and day rehabilitation basis. Our inpatient services are for children who require daily medical management or may need ventilator support, burn care or who may have complex medical conditions.
Our day rehabilitation services offer a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach for two to six hours of therapy in two or more disciplines, up to five days a week. Day rehabilitation teaches family members information for use at home with their child or adolescent. It also provides help with school and community re-entry.
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Services Offered
The treatment program
The treatment program is developed based on the evaluation made upon admission to RIC. If your child has received acute care at another hospital, planning for rehabilitation may begin even before transfer to RIC.
Children may receive treatment on an inpatient or outpatient basis and in group or individual therapy programs. Children and adolescents in need of two or more types of therapies are usually admitted into a comprehensive rehabilitation program. Physical, occupational and communicative therapies form the core therapies of the inpatient and day rehabilitation programs, anchored by the nursing staff. Therapies use developmentally appropriate games, playful activities and adaptive equipment to strengthen muscles, increase range of motion and improve coordination, memory, attention span and daily living skills.
Normalizing life in the hospital - school and play
Our team focuses on making the program as relevant to a child's life as possible. Birthdays are celebrated, movies are attended and homework is done. A professional designated to help children cope with hospitalization, called a child life specialist, helps calm fears and brings fun, leisure and play into the hospital and on outings.
A certified teacher gets information from the home school and implements an individualized school program in the hospital for each school-age child and adolescent so that they continue to earn school credit. The integration of therapy, school and play is provided by an interdisciplinary team offering a truly collaborative and enriching approach that tends to the needs of the whole child.
An essential part of the treatment team is each child's family. At RIC, family involvement is indispensable. Parents' participation provides the treatment team with necessary information and insights vital in developing an effective treatment plan. As key decision makers, parents participate in every aspect of their child's care, learning every part of care, step by step, along with the child. One parent may even stay overnight with the child throughout the child's stay. Siblings, too, are encouraged to be a part of the process. When a child is ready, parents may take their children out of the hospital to have fun and test new skills to see what is working well and what they still need to learn.
In addition to parents, members of the care team work closely with siblings, teachers and others in the child's life. Our treatment team operates on the basis that all people who are active in a child's world should be closely listened to and updated on the child's progress.
School re-entry and discharge planning
A cornerstone of RIC's Pediatric and Adolescent Program is returning children to their school and home environments as quickly and safely as possible to ensure the greatest degree of ease and success. Preparation for discharge and, if the patient is school-age, return to school, begins when children and adolescents are inpatients.
To address school re-entry issues, a school therapist makes an evaluation and recommends services and school placement. An educational specialist and a social worker from RIC attend meetings and work as a team with both the school and family. An important aspect of our job at RIC is to educate school personnel about the effects of the injury or disability on your child and support them in helping the child's peers deal with your child's re-entry. We follow-up and closely monitor patients until no further assistance is needed, often for several years. With this approach, parents and schools can be confident that any medical issues that arise will be addressed.
Discharge also requires strategy and planning. If children are inpatients, we help to find appropriate outpatient services for life after the hospital. One option is for children to enter one of our DayRehabCenters, where they continue to receive comprehensive rehabilitation services, but can live at home and be with their families in the evenings. Everyone is educated when the child leaves - our program works collaboratively with any other organizations with whom your child may be involved. These may include organizations such as the YMCA, Department of Children and Family Services, the park district or houses of worship.
Recreation and sport is an important part of a child's life as well. RIC's Caring for Kids is a dynamic program for any youth ages 7-17 who has a physical disability and is independent in his or her daily living skills. The Caring for Kids program offers year-round adaptive sports, recreation, special events and social activities. The programs are designed to foster a positive quality of life for participants through promoting physical fitness, independence, socialization, activity and adaptive programming resources.
RIC offers inpatient pediatric and adolescent services at its flagship hospital in downtown Chicago. Outpatient pediatric services are also offered at our flagship hospital, at DayRehabCenters and at RIC Hyde Park.
For more information about any pediatric/adolescent service, call our Toll Free Referral and Information Line: 1-800-354-REHAB (7342).
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