Looking for Physical Therapy Student to Help A Physical Disabled Toddler

[hulag123]

We are looking for a pediatric physical therapy student who can help play/exercise my 20 months old who has a physical disability that he can not stand or walk. We are in San Jose, California. My son goes to his pediatric physical therapy session weekly. We hope the helper can go with us to these sessions and learn the exercises. We need some one to help doing the home exercise and play with my son. We hope to establish a long term relationship. We have a private room that we can offer to the student to stay. We hope the PT student can play with the baby at least couple hours per day. If interested, please reach me at [email protected] or (408)658-8898.

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I have updated the post based on the replies that I saw. I feel that I need to give a few more details to clarify the original post.

Thanks for the attention. I, the mother would like to give a few details:
Firstly, we are in the early start program of California already. Not only that, we are also in the California Children's Service (CCS) that is to help kiddos who has a firm diagnosis and is for sure life long. I AM NOT looking for a nanny. As some one has already pointed out, pediatric physical therapy is a very dedicated specialty. We have gone through five different pediatric physical therapy clinic in the South Bay Area before my baby got into the CCS service, all by at least one recommendation. If there is any reputable pediatric physical therapist in the south Bay Area, we probably have met him/her. I, myself quit my job to stay at home to help exercising my baby together with Grandpa for half year. During this half year, my baby can start sitting independently. I have read at least three books that talk about gross motor delay. We have found tons of videos that educate people on how to exercise babies with gross motor delay. After we got the diagnosis, we know this is not just couple years. This is a life long condition. In order to support the baby, I need to gain money. I decided to go back to work. I do not want to stop exercising my baby. Also my baby is very weak that one hour of dedicated PT session in the clinic is too much for him and he is very alert and super smart ( he can count from 1 to 10 at months 20) that NONE of the pediatric physical therapists in the clinic can put their hand on him without him crying. ALL of them eventually suggested that the HOME SETTING is the only good approach. That's why I am looking to form a long term relationship in a sense that we are looking for a family member whom my son can feel security and comfortable with. I got this idea because when I was in my Ph.D. program, I helped an elder while living in their house. I thought it worked out well. Enough said, if there is any interest, drop me a note.

Also I do appreciate all the kind suggestions. I always think that in order to be a good doctor or be in the medical professional field, a BIG heat is before everything else. Giving the experience in the past one year, I see what a big difference a good doctor can make. And how much damage a not so good doctor can make as well.

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[jblil]

Did you get in touch with DPT programs in your area? Usually faculty members can pass the word on to their students and also provide some informal reference regarding said students. A quick Google search shows that Samuel Merritt, UCSF and Ohlone College have PT/PTA programs.

 

[starrsgirl]

Also, consider searching for "pre-PT clubs" at any undergraduate schools that are near you.....this would be an awesome opportunity for someone finishing up their coursework to apply to PT school.

 

[callmecrazy]

Here's a few thoughts...
Most students in a DPT program do not have a few hours daily to work in addition to attending therapy appts with you, especially since most 1 year olds go to bed at a fairly early hour and most students are in class all day. There's also no such thing as a "pediatric physical therapy student"; all graduate as generalists. Depending on where the student is in their program, they may have no pediatric background at all.

If you're concerned your child needs additional services, they can be evaluated for early intervention services in the home. It looks like it's called Early Start in California, and it is separate from the medical model of therapy in the outpatient setting and free for qualified children. Qualification is based on delay, not income. If you're not looking for skilled services per se, you're probably better off searching for a well qualified nanny, which is really what this sounds like.

 

[PT2Bee]

Pediatric therapy isn't too intricate (as compared to neuro, etc.)...it is basically just evidence based play time. You could most definitely learn most if not all the exercises your therapist employs and what to look for/not do. You may have a hard time finding a student that would be willing/able to dedicate a few hours per day.

 

[callmecrazy]

Pediatric therapy isn't too intricate (as compared to neuro, etc.)...it is basically just evidence based play time.

This is an ignorant and borderline offensive summation of an entire practice area.

 

[NewTestament]

Also, consider searching for "pre-PT clubs" at any undergraduate schools that are near you.....this would be an awesome opportunity for someone finishing up their coursework to apply to PT school.

Physical therapists and students are notoriously bad for uniting and coalescing. Most PT's don't join their own professional organization or their student organization at their school. As a result, the profession is weaker. I would be amazed if there were a single pre-PT club anywhere.

 

[riseboi]

This is a stupid and flat-out offensive summation of an entire practice area.

Fixed.

And this comes from a PT student??? sigh...

 

[Azimuthal]

I'm about to begin my final internship or I'd help out. I would email Samuel Merritt, though keep in mind that San Jose is far enough from SF and Oakland that most students will have a difficult time commuting.

PT2Bee, pediatrics PT can be very challenging, especially when addressing the needs of a special needs child. Anyone who attended a program with pediatrics exposure would know this. If you have an opportunity, I recommend administering an AIMS, GMFM, or other relevant standardized test to a special needs child, develop a POC, goals, and THEN find activities that will keep the child's attention long enough for the treatment duration to matter. It's tough. It's a speciality that many neuro track SPTs, such as myself, will not venture forth in.

 

[PT2Bee]

This is an ignorant and borderline offensive summation of an entire practice area.

Yeesh people get offended easily...possibly a misunderstanding lol. In my volunteer experience, a few of the PTs referred to pediatrics in this way (evidence based play). It's not meant to be offensive. You can't really force a child to perform an exercise...you have to make it fun and interesting...so you make it "play time". They described that if you make their interventions as close to play as possible, not only will they be more likely to participate, but the parents are more likely to be able to learn and implement said interventions between appointments. The "not too intricate" was referring to this. You can tailor pediatric interventions so that patients/their families do not have to drastically change their lifestyles to perform their exercise program. I remember a parent with a 6-7 year old girl and she was explaining how their younger child often takes part in the exercises (play) with sister and they like how the interventions just seem like "normal" activities. I can see your point though...not trying to undermine an entire area of PT, just describing it in terms that have been discussed around me.

Edit: I agree Azi..., not trying to say pediatrics isn't challenging or important. I guess just the wrong use of words over the internet on my part.

Edit 2: ugghh, read this again after dinner because it was bugging me as I don't want to offend anyone...it does come off as douchey...my bad...foot in my mouth tastes awesome for dessert

 

[hulag123]

Hi, every one
Thanks for the attention. I, the mother would like to give a few details:
Firstly, we are in the early start program of California already. Not only that, we are also in the California Children's Service (CCS) that is to help kiddos who has a firm diagnosis and is for sure life long. I AM NOT looking for a nanny. As some one has already pointed out, pediatric physical therapy is a very dedicated specialty. We have gone through five different pediatric physical therapy clinic in the South Bay Area, i.e. around San Jose before my baby got into the CCS service. I, myself quit my job to stay at home to help exercising my baby together with Grandpa for half year. During this half year, my baby can start sitting independently. After we got the diagnosis, we know this is not just couple years. This is a life long condition. In order to support the baby, I need to gain money. I decided to go back to work. I do not want to stop exercising my baby. Also my baby is very weak that one hour of dedicated PT session in the clinic is too much for him and he is very alert and super smart ( he can count from 1 to 10 at months 20) that NONE of the pediatric physical therapists in the clinic can put their hand on him without him crying. ALL of them eventually suggested that the HOME SETTING is the only good approach. That's why I am looking for form a long term relationship in a sense that we are looking to form a family member that my son can feel security and comfortable with. Enough said, if there is any interest, drop me a note.

Also I do appreciate all the kind suggestions. I always think that in order to be a good doctor or medical professional, a BIG heat is before everything else.

 

[callmecrazy]

Hi, every one
Thanks for the attention. I, the mother would like to give a few details:
Firstly, we are in the early start program of California already. Not only that, we are also in the California Children's Service (CCS) that is to help kiddos who has a firm diagnosis and is for sure life long. I AM NOT looking for a nanny. As some one has already pointed out, pediatric physical therapy is a very dedicated specialty. We have gone through five different pediatric physical therapy clinic in the South Bay Area, i.e. around San Jose before my baby got into the CCS service. I, myself quit my job to stay at home to help exercising my baby together with Grandpa for half year. During this half year, my baby can start sitting independently. After we got the diagnosis, we know this is not just couple years. This is a life long condition. In order to support the baby, I need to gain money. I decided to go back to work. I do not want to stop exercising my baby. Also my baby is very weak that one hour of dedicated PT session in the clinic is too much for him and he is very alert and super smart ( he can count from 1 to 10 at months 20) that NONE of the pediatric physical therapists in the clinic can put their hand on him without him crying. ALL of them eventually suggested that the HOME SETTING is the only good approach. That's why I am looking for form a long term relationship in a sense that we are looking to form a family member that my son can feel security and comfortable with. Enough said, if there is any interest, drop me a note.

Also I do appreciate all the kind suggestions. I always think that in order to be a good doctor or medical professional, a BIG heat is before everything else.

Sounds like you're on top of things! Is Early Start providing not PT services in the home? Where is your child while you are at work? With daycare, family, etc?

 

[callmecrazy]

Yeesh people get offended easily...possibly a misunderstanding lol. In my volunteer experience, a few of the PTs referred to pediatrics in this way (evidence based play). It's not meant to be offensive. You can't really force a child to perform an exercise...you have to make it fun and interesting...so you make it "play time". They described that if you make their interventions as close to play as possible, not only will they be more likely to participate, but the parents are more likely to be able to learn and implement said interventions between appointments. The "not too intricate" was referring to this. You can tailor pediatric interventions so that patients/their families do not have to drastically change their lifestyles to perform their exercise program. I remember a parent with a 6-7 year old girl and she was explaining how their younger child often takes part in the exercises (play) with sister and they like how the interventions just seem like "normal" activities. I can see your point though...not trying to undermine an entire area of PT, just describing it in terms that have been discussed around me.

Edit: I agree Azi..., not trying to say pediatrics isn't challenging or important. I guess just the wrong use of words over the internet on my part.

Edit 2: ugghh, read this again after dinner because it was bugging me as I don't want to offend anyone...it does come off as douchey...my bad...foot in my mouth tastes awesome for dessert

I don't think it is a misunderstanding so much as it as misinformed perception that is perpetuated even by PT program faculty. What you stated is a very common perception for many SPTs and PTs alike. If you're willing to learn more and have an open mind you're already one step ahead. So here's some food for thought.

Pediatrics includes birth through 18 in most medical settings and up to 21 in the schools. You can definitely walk, or 'force', many of those patients through structured exercises. When able, I even explain to my younger kids that PT is time to work and only give them a minute or two of play at the end of sessions. This is even more true in the school based setting because therapy must be designed to help them access their curriculum and physical environment, which generally doesn't include gross motor play outside of gym or recess. While I try to keep things fun, work is always top priority and there's not always a way or reason to disguise that. Making a teenager run intervals on a treadmill is probably never going to be confused for play to them, hah.

You also can't compare pediatrics to neuro in terms of intricacy because they're not separate. An overwhelming portion of children receiving PT have a neuro diagnosis (TBI, stroke, CP, etc). So pediatric PTs treat neuro, and orthopedics, sports injuries, developmental delays, medical complexities, and a myriad of other presentations. Let me stress here that I definitely reach out to specialized PTs outside of pediatrics for their expertise with some of this when in OP; we can't be experts on everything even if we treat nearly everything! I treat a bit of a specialized pediatric population at my school, but all of them are multi-disabled. I only carry a case load of 22 students and if you tried listing out their diagnoses, medical histories, and surgeries the list could go on for days. It's probably the definition of intricate PT treatment if there is such a thing, and at the very least complex to an extreme.

I appreciate you're response though and hopefully you're only more well-informed now because of it.

 

[Watson27]

Pediatric therapy isn't too intricate (as compared to neuro, etc.)

I work at a pediatric outpatient facility, and the majority of the pediatric patients we see suffer from neurological conditions. There are a lot of similarities in the intervention approaches to CP and stroke. I could make a broad generalization that "OP sports/ortho isn't too intricate because it's just stuff that anyone could do at a gym, right?" All PTs perform skilled interventions, no matter that setting.

 

[PT2Bee]

I work at a pediatric outpatient facility, and the majority of the pediatric patients we see suffer from neurological conditions. There are a lot of similarities in the intervention approaches to CP and stroke. I could make a broad generalization that "OP sports/ortho isn't too intricate because it's just stuff that anyone could do at a gym, right?" All PTs perform skilled interventions, no matter that setting.

Yea, I kind of explained the statement I made above. What I was trying to convey (in not a very well thought of sentence) was that the HEP can be constructed in a way that can be intertwined with the child's everyday routine so mom/dad/brother/sis/whoever can work with said child at home. When I said not too intricate, I wasn't referring to the exam/eval process or even pediatric PT in general, just to the HEP being tailored to each patient so it easy to follow and complete consistently at home (also when I said neuro, I think I was imaging the most complicated neuro pt possible...like a TBI ranchos level 4 or something along those lines). I think I skipped over a few thoughts in my head and didn't explain what I was thinking. It's the middle of my finals week so I'm also partially insane ...perhaps I should ban myself from the interwebs until next week. Anyways, OP, I hope you find the kind of assistance you are looking for and sorry for shifting the focus of your thread!!

 

[hulag123]

Sounds like you're on top of things! Is Early Start providing not PT services in the home? Where is your child while you are at work? With daycare, family, etc?

Before we got the diagnosis, early start supposes to provide PT. Due to the controlled budget in California, everything needs to go through our commercial insurance if we have one. So they approved that we can have PT. But there is no service offered. So we went o for our own journey of going to different private PT clinic. After getting the diagnosis, my son is qualified for the CCS service. There we have a PT to work with my son. Since we also have private insurance, I am thinking that I may still take my son to private clinic for extra sessions. One peer family who got the same diagnosis told me that if I am planning to do this, I can not tell CCS. Otherwise, they will cancel us from the list. Not sure why. While I am at work, my father-in-law, Grandpa is taking care of my baby. Grandpa is the one who started helping since my baby is four months old. The diagnosis that we got is in fact terminating. We are in the light form of this which means that the life expectation can be until early adult hood. So you understand how crucial this is. Grandpa is the strongest man in the family. He said that he will help taking care until the last minute. Grandma has also helped out. But she can not really take this. So I am also started to look for a nanny to help with the baby's daily life. As far as home exercising goes, myself and Grandpa were the team to do exercise with the baby. After I went back to work and given the diagnosis, Grandpa has done very limited since he can not take the baby's crying given that we do not want to push my son to a limit that he may never reach. On the other hand, I see my son started loosing some of the limited mile stones once he reached in the past couple months after we cut off the PT. Having parents or Grandparents keep pushing the kid is a very bad experience. I imagine it's all different it this is some one else's kid. For your own kid, can you imagine that he looks at you through your eye with all tears and fear? So I am trying to find some help to keep my son working but not to push him.

 

[okramango]

Wow, I'm so sorry about what your son and your family are going through right now, and I really admire how proactive you are being with trying to get the best care for him possible. I don't live in the area, but I really wish you luck in finding the help that you need!