Your Visit
The Division of Occupational and Physical Therapy at Cincinnati Children’s requires all new patients to have a physician’s referral for evaluation and treatment at any of our facilities. This ensures that we coordinate your child’s care with her primary care physician. By working closely with you, your family and your child’s other healthcare providers, we are able to provide comprehensive care and reach the best possible outcome.
Referrals may be faxed or mailed to:
Division of Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
MLC 4007
3333 Burnet Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45229-3039
Fax: 513-803-1111
After you have received your physician’s referral, call 513-636-4651 to schedule an appointment.
The Individualized Needs Assessment Questionnaire helps us understand how we can be most helpful to you and your child. Complete the form and bring it with you to your child’s first visit.
Evaluation: What to Expect
The initial evaluation our therapist conducts with you and your child is a critical step in reaching the best outcome. This is our first opportunity to evaluate your child’s condition and learn about its effect on your family. The information we gather will play a key role in shaping a treatment plan that best suits your child’s and family’s needs.
During the evaluation, our therapist will gather additional information about your child, observe his mobility and functional skills, and may administer a series of standardized tests. In some cases, we will collaborate with specialists from other divisions to assess your child’s unique needs. This allows us to develop a treatment plan that cares for your whole child, not just one specific condition.
If we identify or confirm a problem through these tests, we will thoroughly explain our findings to you and your family. We will then recommend options for treatment that, based on our experience, will best address your child’s and family’s needs. We may refer your child to other specialists for additional assessment or treatment. Throughout this process, we will involve you and encourage you to contribute your thoughts, opinions and concerns as we establish a treatment plan.
Exercises and treatments done at home are an important part of most of our patients’ treatment plans. Parents and caregivers need to understand the prescribed exercises to make sure their children complete them properly and on time. Therefore, we strongly encourage you or one of your child’s caregivers to attend each therapy session. This is the most important thing you can do to be part of your child’s care team, and is a vital role you play in helping your child achieve success through the treatment plan.
Attendance
We are committed to providing the best possible care for your child, you and your family. We want all patients to make progress and meet therapy goals, and your cooperation plays a critical role in achieving that. Your child’s success depends on prompt and consistent attendance in therapy. At your child’s first treatment appointment, the therapist will give you a copy of our “attendance expectations” form. Please read the form, sign it and return it to your child’s therapist at the second treatment appointment.
