A Career Helping Children: Pediatric Therapy

A Career Helping Children: Pediatric Therapy


Maybe you have already narrowed your path down to a specific dream job. Maybe you’re still unsure what you’d like to pursue a career in. There are so many different directions a high school grad can go in. With the world at your fingertips and so many opportunities available to you, it can be a be a daunting task to choose what you’d like to do for the rest of your life, especially at just 18 years old.

 

Our best recommendation is to figure out what makes you happy and what you’d like to ‘take away’ from your work. Many people really want to spend their life’s work helping others overcome difficulties.

 

Therapy is just one way to help others improve their lives. One of the most critical times in a person’s life is between the ages 0 and 5. That is why pediatric therapy is particularly important!

 

There are many facets of pediatric therapy and all are very important. Three major types include speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. Here are the differences of each and the benefits of choosing a career in pediatric therapy!

 

Pediatric Speech Pathology

 

A pediatric speech language pathologist works with children to help them improve their oral communication and motor skills. Specifically, this includes learning how to form particular sounds and words, learning how to properly express themselves, learning how to properly receive information from others, and how to use their muscles to feed, chew, and swallow. Many people believe speech therapy is simply for children who have trouble pronouncing certain letters, like R’s. However, the realm of speech therapy extends from oral motor to eating, articulation, auditory processing, and social skills.

 

Pediatric Occupational Therapy

 

A pediatric occupational therapist helps children with the performance of activities required in daily life. Physical and mental impairments include issues with cognitive skills, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, self-care, and social skills. For example, if a child has trouble developing their fine motor skills, a therapist could engage the child with a playdoh rolling and squeezing activity. This simple task helps improve finger dexterity, which helps the child better complete daily tasks such as grabbing a toothbrush.

 

Pediatric Physical Therapy

 

A pediatric occupational therapist focuses on improving a child’s ability to perform activities in daily life. In contract, a pediatric physical therapist focuses on improving a child’s ability to perform major movements of their body. In other words, an OT focuses on defined and specific movements, such as putting on shoes, while a PT focuses on broad movements of the body, such as walking and running.

 

Why Pursue a Career in Pediatric PT OT SLP therapy

 

Although these three positions are very different, they all work with children who have developmental delays. Therefore they are all extremely important to a child’s development and the success of meeting major milestones.

 

In addition, there is also a lot of opportunity for people who work in the field of therapy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, speech language pathology is growing at 18%, occupational therapy is growing at 24%, and physical therapy is growing at 28%. All much faster than average!

 

Furthermore, all three offer a very comfortable salary that is much higher than the national average.

 

Last, but most certainly not least, a career in pediatric therapy is extremely rewarding! The feeling many therapists get when they help a child reach a goal, is very rewarding. In fact, because of the hard work of therapists, when a child overcomes a major setback, the people around them become very proud of both the child and the therapist. Here is a quote from Kristin B., a Little Lukes teacher who works around therapists every day.

 

"My favorite memory in the seven years that I have been at Little Lukes was from a graduation a few years ago. We had a student in our class who was blind, and was unable to walk on her own when she started school. By the time graduation came she had mastered walking and was able to cross the “stage” on her own. Moments like that are the reason that we do what we do!"

 

This child’s success is the direct result of not only her teachers, but also her therapists, all working together to improve this child’s life. That is the beauty of pursuing a job that has so much to give, you get the privilege to watch someone succeed because of your help.

 

Pediatric Therapy Jobs in Preschool Setting

 

Little Lukes is a leading Syracuse and Oswego County educational preschool and childcare provider with five inclusive preschool locations. The early education program includes credentialed and caring staff that specializes in comprehensive infant, toddler and pre-kindergarten development. Additional services include pediatric speech therapy, pediatric physical therapy and pediatric occupational therapy. Preschool locations include Dewitt (East Syracuse), Baldwinsville (Radisson), Oswego, Fulton, and Pulaski.

 

Interested in a pediatric speech language pathology, occupational therapy, or physical therapy career with Little Lukes? Please visit our employment page for more information about Little Lukes’ competitive salary and benefits.

 

Already have your degree? Email your resume to Darci at apply@littlelukes.com or call (315) 326-3345.

 

Looking to gain your degree? For more information on education opportunities for students pursuing pediatric speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy, please visit the following organizations.


American Occupational Therapy Association

American Physical Therapy Association

American Speech Language and Hearing Association