Target Ages: Birth - 5 Years

Primary goal: Improving a child’s involvement and participation in everyday activities through a focus on cognitive skills, social interaction, and adaptive skills. OT also benefits children with behavioral developmental issues and conditions.

 

Occupational Therapy services for kidsOccupational Therapists are a specialty profession that evaluates and treats young children (toddlers) struggling with everyday tasks. Treatment includes:

  • helping children become aware of their behaviors,

  • developing the performance of tasks that are difficult for the child,

  • and learning healthy behaviors overall.

These are skills that target a variety of important factors for the wellness of a developing child. Sensory processing growth like visual, perceptual, and fine motor development may not take place for a child without special attention. This is especially important for toddlers that have a known learning and attention deficit condition.

 

What’s more, occupational therapy involves multiple sessions that teach a child to be confidently independent in their abilities for daily living and self-help strategies. These are minor adjustments that have a big impact on their behavior and understanding.

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On-site Feeding Therapy

Feeding therapy is an additional treatment separate but related to some occupational therapy cases. Proper eating, drinking, and swallowing is a critical matter for every child. Our feeding therapists can help children that face tube feeding or swallowing in particular.

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“Miss Emma (speech), Miss Jamie (previous OT), and Miss Amy (DT) have been so great with me and my son over the years. They have always had an interest in what works best for us and listening to my son's cues and what he needs, how he learns best."

"Greyson has not always been the most willing to do things that come harder for him, but with the help from this staff, their consistent care, and patient minds, he is thriving and has come leaps and bounds from where he first started."
- Jenna Darnell

Whatever the concern, sign up for a free screening with your child today.

Developmental Screening

 

Occupational therapists not only work directly with the child but also with the family, which can include parents, caregivers and teachers with the intent to educate and reinforce specific skills or behaviors. This is to improve and facilitate the child’s performance and functioning.

 

Staff You Can Expect to See

OTR/L, C/NDT, and COTA might not mean much for most parents. To put it briefly, these titles denote:

OTR/L: Occupational Therapist, Registered, Licensed

C/NDT: Certified in Neuro-Developmental Treatment

COTA: Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant

 

 Mueller Peds Core StaffOverall we have five full-time staff that are professionally licensed as occupational therapists. They are:

  • Catherine, M.S. OTR/L

  • Christy, MOT OTR/L C/NDT

  • Colleen, M.S. OTR/L

  • Courtney, COTA

  • Kelcy M.S. OTR/L

See Therapists & Staff

 

When necessary, feeding therapists can have a big impact on the nourishment and independence of your child. We currently have 4 other feeding therapists:

  • Vicky, Feeding Supervisor & Director of Therapy, M.A. CCC-SLP/L

  • Holly, M.S. CCC-SLP/L

  • Kati, M.S. CCC-SLP/L

  • Kelly, M.S. CCC-SLP/L

CCC stands for: Certificate of Clinical Competence.

SLP/L stands for: Speech-Language Pathologist, Licensed.

See Therapists & Staff

 

How do I know if my child needs Occupational Therapy (OT) or Physical Therapy (PT)?

There is a close association between occupational therapy and pediatric physical therapy. Occupational therapy focuses on fine motor skills, sensory development, and other factors that children may experience as “developmental delays”. This simply means that occupational therapy’s focus is generally suited toward toddlers and those with diagnosed developmental disabilities in particular.

 

What this also means is that their primary concern is improving the child’s involvement and participation in everyday activities. For pediatric physical therapists, the focus is on specific improvement of movements and mechanics that are obstacles for the child. Oftentimes, these two specialists will coordinate their therapy practices to complement one another and benefit the child in a variety of ways.

 

Is my child too old or too young to start therapy sessions?

We accept youth patients, meaning that your child can benefit from therapy at our clinic up through the age of 18! Your best option for choosing the most appropriate service is to bring your child or children in for a complimentary screening!

 

During this process, one of our specialists will assess the child and then provide you with a detailed recommendation in light of what they observe. Much of the time, your child will primarily need help in one facet of their development and use supplementary classes or sessions to refine other related skills.

 

Educating the Entire Family: Mueller Pediatric Occupational Therapy

We understand that OT is a difficult journey for many of the families we treat. We always encourage parents to be well-informed and learn concepts or skills alongside their child. Our services provide informational and instructional guidance for parents and caretakers when enrolled in one of our programs.

 

Do you live in any of these school districts below? If so, you are certainly eligible for our services! We know that school districts in Peoria vary when it comes to resources to take care of early childhood development or early intervention, and not all have special needs teachers or paraprofessionals on hand at all times. Mueller Pediatric Therapy is a great alternative or addition to the help your child might not be able to receive at school.

Peoria School Districts Map - Pediatric Care Service Area


 

  • Dunlap CUSD 323

  • Elmwood CUSD 322

  • Princeville CUSD 326

  • Brimfield CUSD 309

  • Illinois Valley CUSD 321

  • Peoria Heights UCSD 325

  • Peoria School District 150

  • Illini Bluffs CUSD 327

  • Limestone Community High School District 310

 

These school districts only serve to illustrate the outline of areas we typically serve! If you are outside one of these districts or send your children to private schools, you are welcome here at Mueller Pediatric. Our mission is to educate families and help them understand their child’s development better, so our service area extends well beyond the Peoria city limits!

 

A Private Pediatric Agency in Peoria, IL

Mueller Pediatric Therapy is located right next to the USPS Postal Office on E. Washington Street, right around the corner from Central Junior High School (East Peoria District 86).

 

If you are traveling from Peoria on I-74 East, take exit 96 for Illinois 8 and turn left onto E. Washington Street. Our office is up on the right. You can also use William Kumpf Blvd to cross the river, where it turns into Washington Street itself.

 

Make an appointment to visit our office today!

Get in Touch

 

See: Developmental Milestones article
See: Your Child by Five Years article
See: Occupational Therapy: What You Need to Know article

See What Our Clients Think

"Amy Hopkins has been here with our family from the beginning. She made a family connection that will last a lifetime!!! Don't know what I would do without her. She didn't care that Kayden was under the table playing in dirt!"

- Erin Faw

"It is so hard to believe our last therapy is this week. We had a wonderful therapist who has done all the hard stuff for our future therapist."

- Bobbie Conover

"My six-year-old Autistic daughter has been receiving speech services from Mueller Pediatric Therapy since she was in Early Intervention. We were so pleased with Emma's work with her at the end of EI that we decided to keep her working with her. Since then, we have seen so much progress in our daughter's ability to not only talk (as she was barely talking upon entering EI) but to understand language and use it appropriately to make requests, express herself and interact with peers. The office staff has also been great in helping us navigate difficulties in dealing with our insurance provider. I recommend Mueller Pediatric Therapy to anyone I know who is looking for services to help children with delays."

- Alysia Short

"Our family has chosen Mueller Pediatric Therapy to serve our two children over the past 5 years. We've had 4 amazing therapists and great experiences with the company. We truly believe they choose the best to work and teach both children, and their families. The personal experiences and relationships we've witnessed make me proud to refer this company."

- Holly K.

"Mueller Pediatric Therapy was a great help to my son when our previous speech therapist fell short of our expectations. The owner, Erin Mueller, took a personal interest in my son’s case and assigned the therapist she felt would be the best fit for my son’s needs. Vicky jumped right in and within the first session had a diagnosis and therapy plan to go forward. We received more personalized treatment in the first month than we had in 6 months with our previous therapist. Vicky had a vast amount of experience that was evident in the way she worked with my son and the knowledge she was able to pass on to me about my son’s condition. She was so personal and easy to work with. I would recommend Vicky and Mueller Pediatric Therapy to anyone looking for a fresh start to their therapy needs."

- T.C.

"We have chosen Mueller Pediatric Therapy for all 4 of our children. Over the past 9 years we have utilized their amazing speech therapists to work with our boys while they were going through Early Invention. They have given them the skills and tools they need to jump start their speech and be able to start school with the confidence they need to succeed. They are now in 6th, 4th, and 1st grade and doing fantastic. My daughter is 4 1/2, autistic, and has been with Mueller since Early Intervention. When she started she was non-verbal, had no real interactions with others and was very withdrawn. In 2 short years she had become a totally different girl. With Mueller's speech, speech group, and OT services she has thrived. She greets people when she sees them, wants to play with others, and just over the last 3 months has started talking. I owe so much to the ladies at Mueller who have taught my kids, stood up for them, cheered them on and pushed them to become better! I would recommend them all day because without them, my children wouldn't be who they are today."

- Erin C.

"Graeme started speech services with Mueller about a year ago. The difference it has made! He speaks so much more and really enjoys time with his teacher Miss Maggie. He looks forward to his sessions. I know both Graeme and I will be sad when he is too old to continue."

- C. E.

"Erin is a very gifted and talented speech therapist. I was constantly amazed at her understanding of how sounds are formed and further amazed at her ability to accurately know which sounds my son was articulating and which sounds needed help. He constantly progressed while under her instruction. Furthermore, Erin truly cared about his development and ability to accomplish sounds. It wasn’t just a “job” to her, she cared, at a personal level, about his development. I was excited when Erin started Mueller Pediatric Therapy. The more people she could touch through her services and through her therapists, the more families that would be blessed."

- Dorine Aberle

Miss Emma (speech), Miss Jamie (previous OT), and Miss Amy (DT) have been so great with me and my son over the years. They have always had interest in what works best for us and listening to my son's cues and what he needs, how he learns best. Greyson has not always been the most willing to do things that come harder for him, but with the help from this staff, their consistent care and patient minds, he is thriving and has come leaps and bounds from where he first started. We are thankful, grateful and blessed to have these professionals in our corner. Thank you so much for all you do for us!

- Jenna Darnell

I would highly recommend my daughter's Speech Therapist, Brittany, because she was wonderful with Mackenzie. She really related to her and really connected with my child by catering to her needs, moods, and her actions on the day of her therapy session. Brittany was constantly working hard with my daughter and always made her laugh and smile. Brittany and Mackenzie had a wonderful connection of which I had never seen with any of her other therapists. Brittany has a wonderful and outgoing personality which really showed when she was working with my daughter. My daughter always looked forward to when Miss Brittany came to her house and always hated to see her leave. I would highly recommend Brittany Hoffmire to any parents looking for a speech therapist because of her awesome ability to work and relate to kids. Thank you very much Brittany for making a difference in my daughter's life and with her speech. You are one in a million. Keep up the awesome work you are doing!! Thank you!

- Nicole Berg

About Us

Mueller Pediatric Therapy, Ltd., was established by Erin Mueller, Speech-Language Pathologist, in 2008. MPT is passionate about providing quality Pediatric Therapy Services. We are the leading Pediatric Therapy Agency in Central Illinois offering a wide array of services for children ages Birth-18 years. We look forward to working with you and your child!

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