Welcome to the Genesis Pediatric Therapy Center in Coralville. Our therapists take pride in offering the very best care to our pediatric population. We specialize in offering a variety of programs to meet the needs of children requiring physical therapy in the Coralville - Iowa City area.
Location
Genesis Pediatric Therapy
2451 Coral Court, #1
Coralville, Iowa
319-853-0596
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Hours
Hours: 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday thru Thursday. Other hours are arranged as needed.
Treatment
Our team of physical therapists are specially trained in pediatrics and offer a variety of unique services to Coralville and the surrounding areas. The child and family-focused center has been designed specifically with pediatric treatment in mind, and to meet the treatment needs of this population.
Physical and Occupational therapy services offered include:
- Aquatic Therapy
- Brachial Plexus Injury Treatments
- Reflection Therapy
- Neuromusic Connection
- Neurokinesthetics
- Early intervention (birth to age 3)
- Constraint-induced movement therapy (children and adults)
- Gross motor
- Neuromuscular
- Orthopedic treatment
- Sensory integration therapy
- Sensory Approach to Feeding
- Therapeutic Listening
- Social Skills
- Pelvic Floor (Biofeedback)
Staff at the Coralville location also offer a variety of non-traditional treatments such as:
Dynamic Casting
Dynamic casting is done on the lower extremities to help correct heel-toe walking and postural alignment.
TheraSuit
TheraSuit is a soft suit that has elastic bands attached to it which are adjusted to help align posture, improve muscle tone, and help improve balance and strength. The suit also helps patients transition from sitting to standing.
Universal Exercise Unit or "Spider Cage"
The Universal Exercise Unit allows a patient to be suspended in the middle of a cage, with support provided by bungee cords that attach to a belt worn by the patient. By using this exercise unit, gravitational forces are removed and the patient can practice skills to improve balance, coordination, and function with a sense of security. This treatment is successfully used throughout Europe and is a widely sought after form of treatment.
Staff
Maria Teresa Ferrer, PT, DPT, Supervisor
Title: Physical Therapist
Education: Maria Teresa completed her studies in Medellin, Colombia at the Universidad Politecnica Colombiana Jaime Isaza Cadavid in 1987. She started her own practice, Suprotec, in 1989 in Medellin, Antioquia. Upon moving to the United States, she completed her Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa in 2006.
Specialization/Certification: Maria Teresa has extensive experience in teaching and working with children of all ages with brachial plexus injury. Along with this, she is certified in traumatic brain injury, Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT), and early intervention. Maria Teresa is specialized in Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy, neuromusic-connection (children and adults), cerebral palsy, neuroplasticity, neurokinesthetics, developmental delays, mirror therapy, and neuroconnection method. She has a certificate of training with the Universal Exercise Unit, TheraSuit, and Serial Casting to correct toe walking, pigeon toe and other gait abnormalities and to promote proper bone alignment.
Tara Rudolphi, PT, DPT
Title: Physical Therapist
Education: Tara graduated from the University of Iowa Doctorate in Physical Therapy Program in 2009.
Specialization/Certification: Tara began her career practicing in an outpatient orthopedic setting working with geriatric, adult, and pediatric populations with orthopedic, neurologic, and vestibular conditions. Now, as a member of the Genesis Pediatric Therapy Team in Coralville, Iowa, Tara successfully provides physical therapy treatments to patients with neurologic conditions and children with development delay through the utilization of the Universal Exercise Unit. She is certified in Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT) and aquatics. In addition, Tara has experience applying the TheraSuit and TheraTog to promote body alignment, Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy, mirror therapy, brachial plexus treatments, neuroplasticity, and neurokinesthetics, among other techniques for patients post brain injury. She is currently receiving training in Serial Casting.
Jennifer Kluever, MS, OTR/L
Title: Occupational Therapist
Education: Jennifer graduated from St. Ambrose University with a Masters in Occupational Therapy.
Specialization/Certification: Jennifer began her pediatric occupational experience in Dundalk, Ireland, at an outpatient clinic, specializing in sensory processing disorders. Since her experience in Ireland, Jennifer has furthered her skills by completing multiple specialized courses in astronaut training, therapeutic listening, sensory integration with children with autism, interactive metronome, Developmental Individualized Relationship (DIR) GreenSpan floor-time model, and integrated listening systems. Jennifer has been nationally recognized as an Emerging Leader within her profession and is working with nationally known occupational therapists in this program. Jennifer provides outpatient treatment for children of all ages in various occupational therapy techniques.
Sarah Henderson, MS, OTR/L
Title: Occupational Therapist
Education: Sarah attended St. Ambrose University and graduated with her Masters in Occupational Therapy in 2010.
Specialization/Certification: Sarah began her career practicing in an outpatient pediatric setting in the Chicago area providing interventions to improve sensory processing, fine motor, and visual motor integration to progress development. She also provided treatment in the school system, working as a team member to collaborate with teachers to allow students to achieve academic success. Sarah is certified in therapeutic listening and the Wilbarger brushing protocol to improve sensory integration. In addition, she has received her certification for the SOS approach, a sensory approach to feeding. Other certifications Sarah obtained include the Pre-K readiness and K-5 Handwriting Without Tears programs to implement the multi-sensory approach to improve handwriting legibility. Sarah’s interventions include creating sensory diets to improve regulation, constraint induced movement therapy, universal exercise unit and NDT techniques. As an occupational therapist, Sarah provides individualized intervention to increase independence for all ages.
Chris Wichman, PTA
Title: Physical Therapy Assistant
Education: Chris graduated from Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, IA in 2011 from their Physical Therapy Assistant Program, earning an Associate degree in Applied Science.
Specialization/Certification: During his time as a student, Chris completed clinical experiences with Genesis under the direction of Maria Teresa Ferrer, PT, DPT. Chris has received extensive training in the Universal Exercise Unit, TheraSuit, TheraTogs, Constraint Therapy, brachial plexus, neuroplasticity, neurokinesthetics, and mirror therapy; he also has Aquatic certification and is currently receiving training in Serial Casting.
Patient Stories
Miracle Boy
Great success through the specialized treatments at Genesis Pediatric Therapy in Coralville, Iowa
Parent Story by: Jennifer Struss
Sawyer and his therapist,
Maria-Teresa Ferrer, PT, DPT
When I was pregnant with our youngest child, Sawyer, my water broke unexpectedly when I was only 23 weeks along. Nine days later he was born, at just 24 weeks, weighing 1 lb. 12 oz. Since he was so small and fragile, he suffered significant bleeding in both sides of his brain. We were told that he would never walk, talk or eat independently. And with two older, "normal," siblings, this was devastating news to our family.
When Sawyer finally came home, he struggled with feeding (from a weak suck). And when he turned 6 months old and was not rolling over, I turned to outpatient physical therapy for assistance.
At about 8 months old, when Sawyer was not using his right hand or arm, I took him to his pediatrician and he was diagnosed with right side hemiplegia. I went online to find out what to do to help him, and I read about CIMT (constraint induced movement therapy). I was very pleased to also find it was being offered at Genesis Pediatric Therapy, so I immediately called for an appointment. Right from the beginning, we saw great results using CIMT.
Shortly after Sawyer turned 2, and was not yet walking, he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (spastic diplegia to be specific). When researching the newest and best treatments for this diagnosis, I was very pleased to see that Genesis had everything we needed! From serial casting to help with bone alignment in the leg and stretching tight muscles, to Cage and TheraSuit therapy for strengthening weak or unused muscles. One-stop therapy! We chose Genesis not only for the types of therapy available, but for the staff. All of the therapist are wonderful, and they all have the same goals for Sawyer as I do - we want him to be able to do everything, as functionally as possible.
Sawyer is now 3, and walks independently. Although his pattern is not perfect, we are still working and seeing improvements! I can't thank Genesis enough for the continued hope, and improvements I have seen in Sawyer. With their help, and hard work, I know he will reach his full potential!
To learn more about our unique treatments or for patient referrals please call 319-853-0596.
Forms
Initial Paperwork
To better understand your current condition, Genesis Physical Rehabilitation will request the completion of our history and intake form at your initial visit. For your convenience, please feel free to print and complete this document prior to your appointment. If you choose to complete the paperwork in advance, please be sure to bring the completed history and intake form to your initial evaluation.
