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Rehabilitation Center Virtual Tour
These fictional patients are just examples to help you understand more about the Rehabilitation Center. This article is intended only to give families a brief overview of what to expect when referred to the Rehabilitation Center. Each child’s experience will be different, depending on your child's health and specific reasons for requiring rehabilitation services. For more information, contact the Children’s Hospital Rehabilitation Center at (865) 690-8961.
When I got home from the Children’s Hospital NICU, I heard my mommy on the phone scheduling an appointment with the Children’s Hospital Rehabilitation Center for more therapy. Today, my parents brought me to the Rehab Center to see Meredith and Jody, my therapists from the hospital. They will help my parents learn to recognize my signals and cries. They will also help me gradually increase the texture of my food and build the foundation for my speech development. I will also build stronger muscles so I can learn to sit up and one day learn to crawl and then walk. During the time I am working at the Rehabilitation center, my parents and I will work with several people who are specialists in specific areas.
The social worker, Betsy, will help my parents learn about other resources in the community that I need. She will also help my parents learn what to expect in my behavior and how to teach me discipline. Yeah, right…good luck! For now, I will come to the Rehabilitation Center two hours two times a week for a few months. My therapy activities will change as I keep learning and getting stronger. Mommy and Daddy and my doctors are happy to see me learn new things.
Two days a week, I go to the Rehab Center's indoor pool for therapy with Judy, who is a physical therapy assistant. My family used to drive 45 minutes to take me to an indoor pool owned by the city for my therapy with Deidra, until the Rehab Center opened its own pool in February 2007. It is so nice to have water therapy right here in the pool at the Rehabilitation Center, since I come here for other therapy, too! I was excited to be one of the first ones to use the pool! I love working in the pool. The water makes it easier for me to move and get stronger.
My name’s Michael. I’m ten and a half. Last year, I was in a bad car wreck with my uncle. He had scrapes and bruises, but I was hurt worse and had to stay in Children’s Hospital a long time. After I went home from the hospital, I started going to the Rehabilitation Center. I had to have therapy to learn how to talk and walk all over again. My speech therapist, Susan, was really nice. She had to be patient because I got mad that I had to learn all the stuff all over again.
On top of all of that, I had to start all over again with things like handwriting and using scissors. Well, at least my parents and teachers said I had to learn to do those things again. I was fine with the basketball, walking and talking. My occupational therapist, Keith, taught me ways to practice my writing at home and taught my parents how to help me with special skills. Now, even my teacher can read my handwriting. This whole thing has been really scary and hard for me to understand. A lot of times I wanted to give up and sometimes I still get mad when things I used to do aren’t easy anymore. Every time I want to give up, Susan and Keith and everybody help me be strong and keep fighting. They’re pretty cool. Directions to the Rehab Center For more information on the services offered at the Children's Hospital Rehabilitation Center, call (865) 690-8961 or e-mail us. Here are some helpful links for families of special needs children: National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities Exceptional Parent Magazine Internet Resources for Special Children |
Hi! My name is Sydney. I spent the first 10 weeks of my life in the Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). There I got to know Meredith, a speech pathologist who helped me learn to coordinate my breathing, sucking and swallowing so I could begin taking a bottle. I also met Jody, an occupational therapist, who helped my parents learn to position me so I’m less fussy and can tolerate touch. As I learned to take a bottle, Meredith continued to work with me and taught my parents techniques for assisting me. It worked! After gaining weight and my lungs getting stronger, I was able to go home with my parents and meet my older brother, who had been waiting to meet me.
Julie is a nutritionist who helps my parents learn to measure how many calories I am getting and how to adjust those calories to help me grow to be a big girl.
Hi! I am Cecilia, and I am six years old. I have cerebral palsy, and my family has just moved to Knoxville from Plano, Texas. My doctor in Texas talked to my new doctor here, who referred me to Children’s Hospital Rehabilitation Center. I come to the Rehab Center for an hour three times a week to see Carrie, my physical therapist. I am learning to transfer from my wheelchair to a chair and to do exercises to keep my legs from getting stiff. I am very excited because Carrie is teaching me to use my brand new electric wheelchair, so I can go places all by myself.
One of the things I like the best is the playground at the Rehabilitation Center. I love to go outside and work with Carrie. My favorite thing is the swing I can use with my wheelchair. I can swing and play just like a regular kid. Carrie thinks I’m working on my therapy, but I know that I’m just playing and having fun.
Sometimes I felt like a baby, ’specially like having to learn to walk and stuff. At first I really hated all of the stuff I had to learn again, but every time I got mad, Susan helped make the therapy fun. I even got to play basketball, and she taught me to use gym equipment, just like my cousin who plays football.