Pediatric Inpatient Rehabilitation Program

The pediatric experts in our Inpatient Rehabilitation Program at Children's Hospital Colorado provide care for children and adolescents who have experienced a loss of function due to illness or injury. Our goal is to improve functional independence, comfort and psychosocial well-being so that our patients can successfully return to their homes and communities. Our interdisciplinary teams offer comprehensive, coordinated and cutting-edge rehabilitation interventions to help achieve the best possible outcomes.

Children’s Colorado is the only pediatric organization in Colorado to be recognized and accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) for our comprehensive integrated Inpatient Rehabilitation and Pediatric Specialty Care Program.

Programs and services accredited by CARF meet internationally recognized standards for care. In earning this accreditation, we’ve demonstrated our commitment to always improving our care and meeting families’ needs.

Conditions we help treat with inpatient rehabilitation

Our treatment starts as early as a child's intensive care stay because we believe early intervention is important for improving outcomes. We're located near the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for your child's convenience and for easy access while your child is in the hospital.

Our team offers a wide range of rehabilitation and physical therapy services customized to fit your child's needs and recovery stage. As your child becomes more medically stable, we'll provide comprehensive rehabilitation interventions to help achieve the best possible outcomes.

Our multidisciplinary team offers a wide range of services and treatment plans for patients with:

• Amputations
• Burns
• Brain tumors
• Cardiac conditions
• Congenital and neurological disorders:
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Hemorrhages
  • Cerebrovascular malformations
• Deconditioning due to illness or extended hospital stay
• Issues with nutrition and feeding
• Minimally conscious states
• Neuromuscular diseases
• Neurotrauma
• Orthopedic conditions
• Polytrauma
• Respiratory insufficiency
• Stroke
• Tracheostomies

Psychological and neurological conditions we treat

In the Inpatient Rehabilitation Clinic, we also help treat patients with a variety of psychological and neurological conditions. In addition to physical rehabilitation services, we also provide cognitive-behavioral and acceptance and commitment therapy. Our team of rehabilitation psychologists also provide education and behavioral management training to caregivers.

Our rehabilitation psychology treatment services can help patients with:

• Traumatic brain injury (from concussion/mild TBI to severe TBI)
• Anoxic brain injury (when the brain is deprived of oxygen)
• Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain)
• Meningitis (inflammation of the brain and spinal cord)
• Stroke
• Spinal cord injury
• Spina bifida
• Hydrocephalus
• Muscle disease (like muscular dystrophy)

Our inpatient rehabilitation psychology services also provide treatment and management techniques for:

• Adjustment and coping difficulties
• Anxiety and/or depression
• Social or behavior concerns
• Cognitive and educational difficulties
• Medical adherence difficulties
• Grief and loss
• Pain management
• Trauma symptoms

Inpatient rehab psychology services we offer

Assessment and ongoing monitoring

In our Inpatient Rehabilitation Program, we offer inpatient rehab psych assessment and monitoring services that include:

• Evaluation of pre-injury/illness abilities via family interviews and questionnaires, school records and other appropriate sources
• Ongoing cognitive monitoring with brief neurocognitive and neurobehavioral exams
• Ongoing monitoring of mood, emotions, insight, independence, response to trauma, behavioral control, adjustment and coping
• Neuropsychological or developmental evaluation to help create a plan after a patient leaves the hospital

Intervention with patient and families

Our family-focused care means patients also have access to:

• Therapeutic interventions focused on coping, adjustment and trauma recovery
• Development and monitoring of behavior plans
• Education with families, school teams and other individuals/organizations who are focused on the neurocognitive, social, emotional and behavioral impact of injury and recovery
• Multidisciplinary collaboration between program specialists and a child’s primary care team

Consultation with medical, therapy and psychosocial teams

Thanks to the multidisciplinary focus of our inpatient rehab psych services, patients and families get:

• Ongoing communication with care teams
• A better understanding of neurocognitive, emotional, social and behavioral factors in recovery
• Multidisciplinary clinic appointments and treatment team meetings

Meet our inpatient rehabilitation team

Our multidisciplinary team offers comprehensive, coordinated rehabilitation services. Our team consists of:

• Pediatric rehabilitation physician specialists (physiatrists)
• Rehabilitation specialty nurses
• Occupational therapists
• Physical therapists
• Speech therapists
• Respiratory therapists
• Psychologists
• Neuropsychologists
• Social workers
• Case managers
• Child life specialists
• Chaplains
• Language interpreters
• Dietitians
• Researchers
• Case managers
• Education specialists
• Insurance liaisons

Why choose the Pediatric Inpatient Rehabilitation Program at Children's Colorado?

At Children's Colorado, we offer the only pediatric acute inpatient rehabilitation unit in the Rocky Mountain region. Our Pediatric Inpatient Rehabilitation Program offers:

• State-of-the-art equipment
• A playroom on the unit staffed by volunteers during the day and into the evening
• An in-unit occupational therapy/physical therapy gym, so that patients do not have to be transported
• A speech-language and learning room
• Community transition experiences so families can have opportunities to practice therapy activities in real-life settings before going home
• Out-trips into the community with specific goals for each child to prepare your child to participate in family activities after discharge
• A patient and family resource room with a computer and internet access
• Easy access to restaurants, parks, hotels, Ronald McDonald House in Aurora and Brent's Place
• Patient rooms equipped with a DVD player and video library of more than 250 movies and cartoons for children and young adults

Contact us

720-777-2806

See the Statement of Scope for our Inpatient Rehabilitation Program.