Are you concerned about any of the following?

• Delayed motor development. Your child is not meeting age-appropriate milestones, such as:

  • Pushing up through arms while on tummy by 4 months old

  • Holding head upright by 4 months old

  • Rolling over by 6 months old

  • Sitting without assistance by 8 months old

  • Bearing weight through legs in supported standing by 9 months old

  • Crawling (creeping) by 11 months old

  • Standing without assistance by 12 months old

  • Walking without assistance by 16 months old

• Unusual muscle tone. Your child seems excessively stiff, or overly floppy throughout his or her body.

• Prematurity.  Your child was born before 34-36 weeks gestational age.

• Preference for one side. Your child prefers to turn their head only to one side, roll only to one side, or only use one hand or leg. 

• Unusual head shape. Your child's head shape appears flattened or asymmetrical. 

• Motor skill difficulties. Your child has difficulty with movement, such as excessive toe walking, involuntary jerking, or a lack of coordination. 

• Balance and coordination problems. Your child frequently falls, trips, walks into objects, or seems off balance. 

• Decreased strength. Your child has difficulty walking up and down stairs or getting up off the floor.

• Falling behind peers.  Your child is not keeping up with his/her peers at school/preschool with skills such as running, hopping, jumping, kicking, playing on playground equipment, etc.

• Specific diagnosis.  Your child has received a specific medical diagnosis such as torticollis, Developmental Coordination Disorder, Down’s Syndrome, ASD, Ehlers-Danlos, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, scoliosis, etc.

• Recent surgery or injury. Your child could benefit from PT intervention to help with timely and effective recovery from surgery or injury.

Getting started early is extremely important!

Avoid preventable future delays and build a strong gross motor movement foundation to maximize your child’s future social and academic success! 

Book a Discovery Call with Sarah today to get started!

This is where we get to know each other, and you get to voice your concerns and goals for your child!

Sarah will spend about an hour with you and your child, asking about your child’s developmental and medical history, and listening to your current concerns and goals.  She will complete a physical examination to check your child’s range of motion, strength, coordination, and posture.  Depending on your child’s age and ability, she will observe your child moving and playing, including specific gross motor skills such as rolling, crawling, walking, and running.  She may complete a standardized assessment as well. Sarah will discuss the findings with you, including whether physical therapy is recommended for your child, your child’s strengths and areas needing improvement, and plans for treatment and discharge.  

You will leave the evaluation with an understanding of Sarah’s recommendations, what your role is in the plan, and how PT can help your child. You will also have specific ideas of how to help your child right away!

At the end, we will decide together how to proceed.

Afterwards, you will receive a comprehensive written report outlining all the evaluation findings and recommendations, including specific time-bound therapy goals.

Treatment sessions are fun! Sessions look a lot like engaging play; however, your child will be working on specific skills directed by the therapist.  Parents and caregivers are an active part of the PT session and are encouraged to be involved.  All sessions are about an hour and take place at your home, or at another convenient location (such as a local park, when appropriate).  Treatments usually consist of hands-on therapeutic exercise administered by the therapist, child-directed purposeful play, and/or manual therapy techniques.  All sessions involve a parent education component and clear communication of a home exercise program to work on between sessions.

This depends on many factors, including your child’s diagnosis and tolerance for PT.  Sarah will perform a re-evaluation periodically and will clearly communicate her recommendations for the best plan to help you and your child.  We will decide together how to meet the goals you have for your child.

Yes, you can!  You can schedule just an evaluation, or weekly, every other week, monthly sessions… or whatever works for your schedule. The treatment plan is dependent on what is recommended at the evaluation and what works best for you.

Sarah loves treating babies whose parents have concerns about torticollis/plagiocephaly, difficulty with tummy time, or difficulty meeting milestones such as rolling, sitting, crawling, pulling to stand, and walking. She also treats toddlers with delayed walking, toe walking, coordination and balance problems, w-sitting, motor planning issues, or decreased strength.

Yes! Sarah also loves working with school-age children (including teens) with decreased coordination, balance, strength, or motor planning. She is currently developing a gross motor screening tool and related exercise program for young school-age children to support coordination, spatial awareness, integrated reflexes, and motor planning in kids with dyslexia.

Sarah has treated children with diagnoses of neurological disorders, and other diagnoses such as (but not limited to) cerebral palsy, Down’s Syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos, post-thoracic surgery, and Developmental Coordination Disorder.

She treats kids and teens with orthopedic issues related to developmental or disease processes.

Regarding orthopedic injuries/post-surgeries, she typically treats kids six and younger, but can work with older kids depending on the situation (please call to discuss!).

Please click here for pricing information. If you have questions, please reach out!

Growing Strong PT accepts cash, check, and credit/debit card payments*.  Insurance plans are not accepted at this time, however at your request we can provide a superbill which will allow you to submit for reimbursement directly to your insurance company. Please note that because I do not take insurance, I cannot legally treat Medicaid (or Medicare) patients, even if you wish to pay out of pocket.

*Credit/debit card payments may include processing and/or transaction fees.

Questions about pricing? Click here.

No doctor referral is necessary as North Carolina has direct-access for physical therapy. However, we encourage you to address any and all of your concerns with your child’s pediatrician at any time!

Many insurance companies do require a referral prior to therapy services starting, so we do recommend that you check with your insurance if you plan to submit a superbill for reimbursement at their out-of-network rate.

Growing Strong PT is based out of Huntersville, NC and treats kids in the north Charlotte and Lake Norman area. However, Sarah does have clients as far as Belmont and Waxhaw and she is happy to travel to you! (Please note that a travel fee will be assessed for travel outside of a 10-mile radius of Huntersville: 11-20 miles outside of Huntersville= $40; 21-40 miles = $80. Mileage fees are not reimbursable services from insurance companies.)