Overview
The Aaron W. Perlman Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is a specialty center with programs and services uniquely designed to meet the needs of children with physical disabilities and chronic physical conditions. The Perlman Center provides family-centered holistic intervention, which focuses on the development of the child as well as the support of the family and community.
Developed as an effective model of therapeutic treatment, the Perlman Center’s multi-disciplinary approach responds to the overall needs of the child, as well as the family. The centerpiece of all programs at the Perlman Center is the integration of necessary therapies in developmentally appropriate environments for the child at any age, with the goal of increasing competency and active participation in the environment. The Center serves as a home base to families who have young children with physical disabilities, who receive care at Cincinnati Children's.
At the Perlman Center, families find support for dealing with the medical, developmental and financial issues which confront them. Because of its working relationships with other agencies and providers, the Perlman Center is a vital link from the hospital to the community setting for families. The Perlman Center continues to support children as they enter and progress through school, linking them back to Cincinnati Children’s for necessary medical follow-up. The Perlman Center provides ongoing therapeutic support and assistive technology support for school students into their adult years.
Programs
Early Therapeutic Intervention
Multidisciplinary teams of occupational, physical and speech therapists, and developmental specialists provide innovative programs to increase the child’s ability to participate in and learn from his/her environment. Early Intervention Programs provide support for parents to promote their child’s development and increase their understanding of their child’s condition. The intensive small group programs for preschool-age children are offered in two, three and four sessions per week. The environment is adapted to maximize active participation and children have access to a variety of technologies, which assists with communication, early literacy, mobility,strength, environmental access and exploration. Parents are treated as active members of the team.
Assistive Technology Services
The Perlman Center is a leading regional provider for assistive technology evaluation, training and technical assistance for children and adults. The expertise of the multi-disciplinary team of therapists, as well as its one-of-a-kind Assistive Technology Lab make the Perlman Center a key resource for individuals with all types of physical and developmental disabilities/conditions.
Service Coordination
The Perlman Center plays a vital role in providing service coordination to families that have children with disabilities. Working with many community agencies, Cincinnati Children’s and other resources, the Perlman Family Service Coordinators support hundreds of families each year.
School-Age Programs
The Perlman Center works with all schools in the Greater Cincinnati area to provide ongoing therapeutic and assistive technology support to many school age students with physical disabilities. Center-based evaluation combines with school-based consultation and training to provide the best support for students struggling to actively engage in the classroom. Because literacy can be a problem for many children with severe physical disabilities, specialized programs are offered at the Perlman Center during the summer and after school, to help students use technology to read and write. Working with kids through their school years, the Perlman Center partners with United Cerebral Palsey’s Rendigs Center to support a successful transition to the adult years.
Aquatic Therapy
The Perlman Center offers a strong aquatic therapy program which complements therapy goals and provides an effective means of targeting physical strength, endurance and movement.
Sibshops
These group programs, offered four times a year, provide support to kids that have siblings with disabilities. Sibshops is a nationally acclaimed model brought to the Cincinnati area by the Perlman Center. Learn more about the 2009 Sibshops schedule.
Community Education
Perlman Center therapists and teachers are actively engaged in supporting people in the community that provide care for kids with physical disabilities. Working with the Southwest Ohio Special Education Regional Resource Center, the Perlman Center offers training in assistive technology to hundreds of school personnel on how to integrate technology in the classroom. The Perlman Center is also very active in bringing expertise to the Cincinnati area, including sponsoring conferences that feature nationally-known speakers and a regional CP Conference for parents.
A Continuum of Care
The Perlman Center is a partner in care with United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cincinnati to insure that service and support, that is necessary for full inclusion and participation, continue through the adult years.
