Westchester Pediatric Physical Therapy, Scarsdale
Dr. Dana R. Smith, referred to by her patients as Dr. Dana, recently opened Westchester Pediatric Physical Therapy (home of Sensory Jim & Friends) in a new state of the art location in Scarsdale.
Dr. Dana’s practice is unique among pediatric physical therapy professionals because she specializes in neuromotor and sensory integration, postural control and Autism Spectrum Disorder, combining physical therapy and sensory integration to provide treatments aimed at improving a child’s quality of life across all settings. She has personally treated well over 800 children in her career.
Dr. Dana began her clinical training as a physical therapist dealing with patients of all ages experiencing trauma, strokes, spinal cord injuries and other injuries involving the nervous system and the brain.
It was a young boy with Leukemia awaiting a bone marrow transplant that turned her attention to the needs of children and pediatrics.
“He was isolated,” Dr. Dana remembered. “I began to spend time working with him. It made a difference in his experience and recuperation, so I considered working with kids. I began to take on cases treating children with developmental disorders.”
While working to earn credentials in New York State, Dr. Dana was introduced to Sensory Integration and pioneering work done by Dr. Jean Ayres, to determine how a child’s sensory experience might not be properly acknowledged by the brain, causing an abnormal response.
For example, a child might respond to the sound of a ringing doorbell or the phone with a response of fear because her neurological system is not integrating the information properly and the brain has perceived the sound worthy of a “fight or flight” response, which would not be appropriate in the situation, Dr. Dana said.
Some children overreact when touched because the sensation has set off an abnormal neurological response.
Using a combination of physical and occupational therapy, Dr. Dana works with her young patients so they feel less traumatized. “It is difficult to know why they react the way they do when we do not know what they are feeling,” she explained.
Many of Dr. Dana’s patients are diagnosed in the Autism spectrum, but the triggers in each child are different, she says. Educating parents on how to identify the triggers if they suspect their child has a problem is key in determining how a child’s sensory processing might be affected.
Most people are familiar with the five senses of touch, taste, smell, hearing and vision, but there are three other senses that can affect a child’s neurological response. These include the balance of the inner ear, senses of the major organs such as the stomach and receptors in the muscles and joints that all provide feedback on where the body is functioning.
Once a pattern has been identified, it often can be worked through with behavioral therapies.
Dr. Dana identifies when sensory impairments disturb a child’s natural gross motor development and works directly with the child and family to come to a solution that enables the child to live a healthy and happy life. Dana also recognizes the immense stress that the parents and family members are under, in addition to the challenges that the children themselves face.
Dr. Dana receives referrals from pediatricians and sometimes school professionals who have identified the red flags and are able to encourage early intervention. When a family takes the first step by making an appointment, Dr. Dana conducts a comprehensive assessment, which can take from one and half to two hours depending on the age of the patient. She goes over the findings with the family and discusses a course of therapy. Some children work through the therapy in a matter of weeks or months, and others are in a program for years.
“It all depends on the specific situation,” Dr. Dana explains. If she feels a child needs another form of treatment, she will refer out to other specialists.
Families can find out more about Dr. Dana’s practice by visiting westchesterpediatricpt.com.
Westchester Pediatric Physical Therapy (home of Sensory Jim & Friends) is located at 495 Central Park Ave., Suite 206, Scarsdale; 929-33-KIDPT (929-335-4378).
