Empowering Children to Express Themselves Through Therapy

Expression Pediatric Therapy and Engagement Physical Therapy in Dickinson, ND, provide valuable and compassionate therapy services to the community and surrounding area. Expression Pediatric Therapy is a pediatric speech-language, feeding, and occupational therapy clinic and Engagement Physical Therapy provides women’s health physical therapy and pediatric therapy. Some of the services they offer include speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, feeding therapy, women’s health therapy, pediatric therapy, among other supportive services.

Expression and Engagement have made a tremendous impact on the community by enhancing the quality of life of their clients, many of whom are children with autism.

“As pediatric therapists, we try to use playful activities to achieve the goal of whatever it is we’re working on,” Katie Schlosser, owner and physical therapist at Engagement Physical Therapy said. “Any type of equipment that can facilitate more natural play the better.”

For example, the children who may not use verbal communication can utilize an app on an iPad provided by the facility that allows them to communicate using visual cues. This communication tool opens the world to the children as they are given to opportunity to create new connections through communication.

Both therapy services shared a building in downtown Dickinson that they were beginning to grow out of. When a new building became available with more room to support its growing clientele. They moved into their new building in August 2021, doubling the square footage of their last location. This allowed the therapists to further tailor their space to their clients and bring in more programming and equipment to support their clients’ therapies. While this flexibility to personalize the new space and welcome more clients was incredibly exciting, it first meant acquiring the equipment that would eventually fill the space.

Jon Leadbetter, Belfield location president, is very familiar with Expression and Engagement’s positive community impact. His son is one of their patients.

When Jon was taking his son to one of his appointments in the new building, the staff showed him around and told him about their plans on how the space will be outfitted. Jon listened carefully, as he realized this new building was likely a large expense and the facility wouldn’t have the expendable funds to begin to fill out the space for quite a while.

So, Jon submitted a wish to the Wishing Well that was granted to provide this equipment. Jon, his wife, and the Belfield staff worked together to order a crash pad, wedge, hug boat, mats, bolster swing, and iPads to give to Expression and Engagement.

On the day of the wish reveal, as soon as Jon began bringing the equipment inside the new building it caught the attention of the children. They left their therapy time to play and interact with the new equipment and jump on the crash mat. One could not help smiling from seeing the excitement and joy expressed by the children!

“These amazing people work every day to better the lives of so many great kids!” Jon said. “We are so very happy to be able to get these tools into their capable hands and hope they bring joy and progress for many local youths. This won’t just benefit my son, but the many patients they have already and will continue to get as they grow into their space.”

At Choice Bank, we are so grateful to be able to use our position as a community bank to give back and be involved in our communities. We are so honored to be able to support the brilliant and caring staff at Expression and Engagement through our Wishing Well.

The Choice Bank Wishing Well is now accepting wishes! Ready to cast yours? Visit choicewishingwell.com and let us know who you would like to help out in your community.