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What Happens During A Pediatric Physical Therapy Evaluation?

What Happens During A Pediatric Physical Therapy Evaluation? | Pediatric Occupational Therapy Pediatric Physical Therapy Clinic | Washington DC, Charlotte NC, Raleigh NC, St Louis MO

Has your child received a diagnosis of a chronic condition, like cerebral palsy or Down syndrome?

Does it seem like their head and neck are stuck in a specific position?

Or, have you noticed they’re late in hitting their developmental milestones?

For all these, and more, your child may benefit from the support of a physical therapist.

Here at Little Feet Therapy, we offer pediatric therapy in Washington DC, Charlotte, NC, Raleigh, NC, and St. Louis, MO for kids with a wide range of diagnoses and conditions.

That starts with an evaluation.

This way, your child’s physical therapist can get an understanding of the situation.

It’s natural to want to be prepared before an evaluation, though.

Understanding what a pediatric physical therapy evaluation consists of, and why it’s beneficial, will help both you and your child feel more at ease.

That’s why, in this article, we’re talking about what to expect during a pediatric physical therapy evaluation.

What Is A Pediatric Physical Therapy Evaluation?

There are many reasons your child may benefit from a physical therapist evaluation.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

If your child has experienced any manner of developmental delay, injury, or has a condition that impedes their ability to move normally, we’re qualified to help.

We assess their mobility, balance, strength, coordination, and how they function within their environment.

From there we’re able to work with you and your child to determine your goals for physical therapy.

Potential goals may include:

You and your physical therapist will set these goals together.

How Should I Prepare For A Pediatric Physical Therapy Evaluation?

In the weeks before your child’s appointment, it helps if you make notes about your areas of concern for your child.

Observe your child, and make note of anything you’re worried about.

If your child is old enough, talk to them about what they might want from physical therapy.

On the day of the evaluation, your child should be dressed in loose, comfortable clothing they can move around in.

It’s a good idea to arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time.

There is intake paperwork to be filled out prior to the visit that help us figure out what sort of treatment your child will benefit most from.

It helps to have any of your child’s relevant medical history accessible as well.

What Should I Bring To A Pediatric Physical Therapy Evaluation?

On an emotional level, you know your child best.

If there’s something you can bring to comfort them in what may be a new environment, you’re free to bring it.

Stuffies, toys, or other comfort items, for example.

If your child has mobility or communication aids, be sure to bring those to the appointment as well.

Also, please bring the shoes your child wears most frequently, and any braces or inserts they have.

If your child is being seen for infant feeding difficulties, it’s helpful to bring their bottle and pacifier.

How Long Is A Pediatric Physical Therapy Evaluation?

The evaluation can take anywhere from one to two hours.

We advise you to prepare to be there longer, just in case.

After you fill out the paperwork, we will be able to give you a better idea of length of the assessment.

Pediatric Physical Therapy Evaluation: Step By Step

Now that we’ve done a general overview of things, let’s take a closer look.

Below, you’ll find a step by step layout of what happens during a pediatric physical therapy evaluation.

1. Detailed Medical History

We’ll start with an intake form, which you’ll complete before your appointment.

Your physical therapist will review this before your visit.

From there, they’ll discuss your child’s medical history and current concerns with you to begin the evaluation.

We need to take a comprehensive look at what your child is and isn’t physically able to do, as well as, their past milestones, birth and medical history.

The necessary information includes asking questions about:

  • Your child’s birth
  • Past or present illnesses or conditions
  • Medications
  • Developmental milestones (when they were met)
  • Your child’s current capabilities
  • Family history of diagnoses that may affect movement
  • And others

The more details we have in the beginning, the faster and smoother the evaluation will go.

2. Asking About Your Child’s Concerns

The next part of the evaluation involves the goals and concerns you and your child have.

It’s vital that we get your input in order to create an individualized therapy plan.

Ideally, you will already know what you and your child are hoping to get out of physical therapy.

Your goals will inform the rest of the evaluation.

Once we know which areas we’re working on, we’ll perform a couple of simple tests to assess where your child is at with their development.

This allows us to chart your child’s progress when the test is repeated.

Pediatric Physical Therapy Evaluation - Gross Motor Skills Assessment | Pediatric Occupational Therapy Pediatric Physical Therapy Clinic | Washington DC, Charlotte NC, Raleigh NC, St Louis MO

3. Gross Motor Skills Assessment

To start, we perform a physical assessment, testing the mobility of your child’s joints, posture, muscle tone, neurological function, and muscle strength.

We’ll perform 2-3 standardized tests.

Depending on your child’s age, we may use the following tests:

These tests assess the following:

  • Balance and coordination
  • Endurance
  • Functional mobility, such as using stairs, getting up and down, etc
  • Gait pattern
  • Gross motor skills, like running, jumping, climbing
  • Motor planning, the ability to conceive and carry out motions
  • Movement patterns
  • Muscle tone
  • Pain
  • Posture
  • Range of motion
  • Strength

The tests are designed to tell us what stage your child is at and help them improve these skills.

Depending on their age, we will also have them try any of the following:

RELATED ARTICLE: How to Teach Your Child to Walk

If your child is seeing a physical therapist for torticollis or head flattening (plagiocephaly or brachiocephaly) we will take measurements of head shape and neck tightness/range of motion.

We will also assess for any feeding difficulties and oral restrictions.

We’ll also be using these assessments to:

4. Discussion And Next Steps

Once we know what we’re working on and how, we’ll go over our thoughts with you and your child.

We’ll let you know the findings of our evaluation, including any findings from tests we ran.

We may determine that physical therapy is not needed at this time.

If this is the case, we’ll help you with other resources, options, and recommendations.

If we think your child could benefit from physical therapy, we’ll discuss a treatment plan.

This may include at home exercises you can do with your child in addition to appointments with your therapist.

The length of treatment/number of appointments recommended varies, but we’ll also make sure that you have a plan in place when your evaluation concludes.

We’ll do our best to answer any questions you may have at the assessment, but you can consult your child’s physical therapist at any time.

You’ll also receive a writeup of your child’s assessment via email.

If you were referred to us by a physician, we’ll fax them a copy as well, within a week of the assessment.

Book Your Appointment With Our Pediatric Therapy Clinic Today

Parent engagement is key in helping your child with their physical therapy.

Helping your child at home is crucial, but we’re here to give you confidence in your child’s care and the extra support that both you and your child needs.

Book your appointment with Little Feet Therapy today.


Little Feet Therapy
► Washington, DC Clinic
► Charlotte, NC Clinic
► Raleigh, NC Clinic
► St. Louis, MO Clinic

Founded in 2019, Little Feet Therapy offers on site pediatric physical and occupational therapy treatments for children from 2 months to 18 years old with physical and developmental concerns. Our clinics focus on providing therapy in a child’s natural setting where your child is in familiar surroundings, it puts their mind at ease and helps them focus more on the work they’re doing with their pediatric therapist. Our therapists will work with your child at your home, at school, at daycare, or another place in the community where they feel most comfortable.

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