Who are we?
Our paediatric physiotherapists are able to assess and treat a wide range of physical and neurological conditions from babies through to adolescents. With years of paediatric experience, the Bright Start team understand no two children are the same and ensure our assessment and treatment are true to this. We see children aged 0 – 18 at all functional levels for both intensive and maintenance based therapies. Common conditions we see in clinic include:
- Hypotonia
- Cerebral Palsy
- Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome)
- Muscular Dystrophies
- Global Developmental Delay
- Genetic Disorders
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
We are a community
At Bright Start we aim to assist children and their families to achieve their full potential. As such, we work together with families and carers to create short and long term goals that encompass their needs.
Our communal gym space not only enables us to work as a team, but allows the children to work together to achieve their goals and make new friends throughout their therapy journey.
We pride ourselves on knowing each and every child who walks through our doors, even if we are not the primary therapist, so we are able to work as a team to ensure the best possible outcomes for each of our clients. As part of a multidisciplinary clinic we work closely with our amazing team of Occupational Therapists to provide holistic care.
What we do
As paediatric physiotherapists our goal is to facilitate learning in the children and families we see. We aim to introduce movement in a variety of different ways to enable the child to decide and use the movements that are most appropriate for them. Exposing the child to a range of functional activities in different environments gives them the autonomy to adapt to different situations in everyday life.
Why Bright Start?
At Bright Start we incorporate a range of therapy techniques into our treatment programs so we are able to best address the needs of each child including both TheraSuit and Neurodevelopmental Techniques (NDT). We are committed to ongoing learning as part of our therapy team and are always looking at ways we can incorporate the latest evidence into our practice.
What do we offer?
At Bright Start, we offer:
Intensive Physiotherapy and TheraSuit sessions
Our intensive programs run for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week for 1-3 weeks. These programs are designed to address clients goals through a structured exercise program focussing on strength as a foundation of movement. A typical Physiotherapy Intensive Program will include:
- Massage and mobilisation: Massage and mobilisation are used to prepare the muscles for upcoming activities.
- Pulleys: Using the Universal Exercise Unit, pulleys are an effective way to complete strengthening exercises that target specific muscle groups. Pulleys provide the basic strength components necessary for movement.
- Functional activities: Based on a clients goals, functional activities will include movement that can be used in everyday life. From sitting balance to running, the functional activities are included to provide practice, diversity of movement, strengthening of activity specific muscles as well as balance and coordination to optimise movement.
School Holiday Intensive sessions
Our School Holiday Intensive programs are designed to incorporate targeted strengthening with functional activities.
Maintenance Physiotherapy Sessions
Our Maintenance Physiotherapy Sessions run for 45 minutes, once a week focussing on improving function and achieving goals. Maintenance sessions are designed to address the physical impairments experienced by children including difficulties with:
- Balance
- Coordination
- Spatial Awareness
- Strength
- Transitions
- Gait training
- Gross Motor Development
What else can we do?
- Equipment prescription: We can provide recommendations for equipment that will assist your child in achieving their functional goals.
- NDIS report writing: We are committed to advocating for all children that come through our clinic. We are able to provide NDIS recommendations and reports based on clinical assessments to assist your child in receiving funding to support ongoing therapy.
- Cascade DAFO’s: Our physiotherapy team is trained to assess for and prescribe Cascade DAFO orthotics. These prefabricated orthotics work to optimise the natural position of the foot for children who have correctable anatomical or functional foot variations that are impacting on their function. If you feel like this is something that might benefit your child, ask one of our amazing physiotherapists for more information!
