INDIANAPOLIS — Pediatric therapy can look a lot different from traditional exercises and appointments, especially when the goal is to help children build developmental skills through play.

Brett Fischer, owner of 321go Kids, joined Life.Style.Live! to discuss how the center uses play-based therapy to help children build developmental skills and reach important milestones.

Fischer said the goal is to make therapy feel less like an appointment and more like an opportunity for children to explore, interact and have fun.

Therapists tailor activities to each child’s age, abilities and developmental needs, finding ways to challenge and encourage progress while keeping children engaged.

The segment also featured 3-year-old Luke alongside his mother, Hailey, and his physical therapist, Eliya Norman, who shared a look at his therapy journey.

Luke was born at 27 weeks and spent seven months in the neonatal intensive care unit. At 7 months old, he was diagnosed with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. He is also dependent on a feeding tube for nutrition and has participated in multiple therapies throughout his life.

Hailey said Luke began attending 321go Kids in April after aging out of the First Steps program. When he first started, he was working on holding his head up and becoming comfortable interacting with new environments and people.

Since then, she said, his progress has been remarkable.

Norman explained that therapy focuses on finding activities that motivate Luke to interact with the world around him, connect with his family and express himself.

One important tool is Luke’s eye-gaze communication device, which allows him to communicate through eye movements and touch. The technology has helped him express his wants and needs, choose favorite toys and interact with his brother.

Hailey said the device has opened up new opportunities for Luke and allowed more of his personality to shine through.

She also praised the 321go Kids team for treating Luke as an individual and celebrating each milestone along the way.

For Fischer, stories like Luke’s highlight the importance of celebrating progress, even when a child’s developmental journey looks different from that of other children.

He said therapists and families get to experience milestones that may take years to achieve, from holding up a child’s head to sitting independently and taking first steps.

Fischer said the opportunity to support children and their families throughout that journey is one of the most rewarding parts of the work at 321go Kids.

For more information about 321go Kids and its pediatric therapy services, visit 321gokids.com.