Pediatric Rehabilitation

When injury, illness or a medical condition affects your child’s ability to move, communicate or enjoy life, it’s time to ask for help. For more than 60 years, our physicians have been treating children with a range of musculoskeletal, neurological and neuromuscular disorders. 

Contact the expert team at New Mexico’s only pediatric rehabilitation hospital—UNM Carrie Tingley Hospital.

We are the only providers in New Mexico who treat scoliosis, and as New Mexico’s only dedicated children’s hospital, we have the experience and skill to help your child.

Life-Long Dedication to You

UNM Health offers life-long support, care and education for patients with disabilities. Our specialty clinics are offered throughout New Mexico for your convenience. We encourage parents to learn more about our clinics and how we can support your family.

Team Approach to Rehabilitation

All children are unique, and our team understand that a one-size-fits-all treatment doesn’t work in rehabilitation medicine. They’ll start with a full assessment of your child’s abilities. And since you know your child best, they work with you every step of the way. It’s this all-for-one team approach that makes the difference.

A Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) physician—also known as a physiatrist—helps coordinate assessments and rehabilitation therapies and services that will best help your child. We may refer your child to physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists and more for the specialized attention your child deserves.

Your child may benefit from our team’s expertise if he or she has been diagnosed with:

  • Brain and spinal cord injuries
  • Cancer
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Chronic pain
  • Congenital abnormalities
  • Developmental disorders
  • Feeding and swallowing disorders
  • Neuromuscular conditions
  • Sensory processing disorders
  • Spina bifida
  • Sports injuries
  • Traumatic injuries

Once our assessment of your child’s current abilities is completed, our team will put together an individualized treatment plan that may include:

  • Aquatic therapy in a heated pool to support the body and relieve stress on joints.
  • Car seat recommendations for choosing and using a seat designed for a child’s unique needs.
  • Feeding and swallowing therapy to help your child get proper nutrition.
  • Hand therapy to aid recovery after an injury to the wrist, hand, elbow or arm.
  • Nutrition counseling for guidance on choosing and preparing tasty, easy-to-eat foods that provide the nutrients your child needs.
  • Occupational therapy to teach strategies and recommend adaptive equipment to help your child do everyday activities.
  • Physical therapy to improve mobility and range of motion.
  • Seating evaluations and pressure mapping to determine the best wheelchair or other mobility equipment for your child.
  • Sensory processing disorder testing and treatment for children who show signs of oversensitivity or under-sensitivity to sound, touch, taste, scents or visual stimuli.
  • Speech-language therapy to help your child’s communication abilities.

As the only pediatric rehabilitation facility in the state, our team’s expertise extends beyond the physical therapies of rehabilitation.

  • Rehabilitation psychotherapists work with a child—and their entire family—to teach skills that can help them navigate challenges at home and in the community.
  • Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic staff is available to evaluate a child after injury and continue to follow-up throughout rehabilitation.
  • Neurobehavioral Clinic staff includes psychiatrists and psychologists to provide support and care for children dealing with both medical conditions and correlating behavior issues.

For those families not able to travel to Albuquerque, our Center for Tele-Behavioral Medicine and Rehabilitation provides long-distance rehabilitation psychotherapy for children.

When your child needs a brace, supportive device or artificial limb, our certified staff will help choose a customized, well-fitting orthotic or prosthetic that allows as much activity as possible.

UNM Carrie Tingley Hospital is accredited by the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics & Pedorthics, which means you benefit from:

  • Instructions and training on using your child's device
  • Access to a large stock of items so you’ll get just what your child needs
  • Protection of your family's privacy and confidentiality

Your child’s physical therapist will work to ensure your child can use his or her new prosthetic correctly and effectively.