Pediatric Physical Therapist with a Love for Infants
Raquel Keithley
Physical Therapist
Pediatric Physical Therapist with a Love for Infants
Raquel Keithley loves being a physical therapist. After working the gamut of adult acute care, adult in-patient rehab, and pediatric rehab for teens, Raquel has spent the last 18 years working in pediatrics. She’s an expert on premature infants and babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome and has presented on the topic nationally.
She brings this rich experience to her work at M Street Pediatric Therapy where she often mentors newer therapists and helps to serve many of the smallest and most vulnerable patients.
“I love working with young infants and preemies. I love helping families learn their baby’s cues so they better engage with their infant. It’s wonderful to help parents learn to support their baby and encourage their baby’s development.”
“It’s wonderful to help parents learn to support their baby and encourage their baby’s development.”
Raquel’s Story
When Raquel was in high school, she was inspired by a book she read about a girl who needed physical therapy. As her interest in the topic grew, a real-life scenario solidified her choice. A classmate at school had a diving accident and broke his neck. Consequently, he became a quadriplegic due to the high spinal cord injury. Watching his journey, Raquel knew physical therapy was her life calling.
“It was early in my life, but I knew I wanted to work with people who needed rehabilitation and those under acute care. When I entered into college as a freshman, I had my major figured out. There was never a doubt in my mind this was what I was meant to do.”
Raquel’s career path took her through many different aspects of physical therapy (PT). She worked mainly in hospital-based care serving adult, geriatric, and pediatric patients.
“I’ve worked with every season of life throughout my career, but once I got to pediatrics, I knew it was truly where I was supposed to be. I’ve been working with pediatrics for a long time now. What I enjoy most is working as a team with other providers and caregivers to reach the goals of the family. I saw a lot of collaboration and family-centered care during my time in the NICU and in acute care, but now, working in early intervention, I see the family-centric approach expanded.”
During her years in the hospital setting, Raquel worked with premature infants in the direst circumstances. She’s an expert in working with babies who suffer from neonatal abstinence syndrome (from drug use). She also spent time working as a pediatric adjunct professor at Eastern Tennessee State University during her time living in Tennessee. When she moved to Chicago a year ago, she was able to apply those skills in her work in early intervention at M Street Pediatric Therapy.
“At first, working in a home-based setting was a big change from the NICU, but I’ve found it extremely satisfying. No matter what I taught parents in the hospital, I knew it was hard for them to carry out those activities at home. Working with parents in their own environment, I get to help solve problems in real life.”
Raquel works with parents using the items they have at home and finding strategies to help their infant that fit seamlessly into their lifestyle. Like all M Street therapists, she’s able to assist parents in practical ways to help their child reach milestones.
“Compared to what we saw in the NICU, there are different and bigger milestones for the families that work with M Street. We’re working with the children for longer periods of time. It’s rewarding to see them sitting, standing, rolling, and learning head control. You develop a strong relationship with the family and figure out how they want to work with their child.”
“Working with parents in their own environment, I get to help solve problems in real life.”
Working with Raquel and M Street
Thanks to Raquel’s unparalleled experience with infants, she brings a lot of knowledge and mentorship to the M Street team.
“We meet several times a month with other specialists on the M Street team. I feel like the opportunities for education and collaboration are excellent. We use technology to ease the participation in meetings, so everyone is able to contribute no matter where they are. It’s a very supportive environment and there’s always someone to work with if you need to troubleshoot or ask questions.”
M Street serves a wide range of children with different needs, ages, and backgrounds. Because early intervention is typically carried out in a home, school, or daycare setting, therapists get to see the family routine and how therapy will fit in their daily lives.
“One of the best aspects of working with families in their home is the way your therapy ebbs and flows with what’s going on in the family’s life. We give them activities to support development, like learning to sit, for example. We may look around the house to find appropriate activities for wobbly sitters. This might mean sitting them in their diaper box and pushing them around the house. Older siblings get involved and therapy becomes a part of their play routine.”
“Working in the home, you see the progress happening. Maybe a brother or sister has a birthday and you get to see how the baby becomes part of the activity. They discover supportive ways to play with their siblings and it facilitates bonding. This is especially good when a baby has been sick or in the hospital for a while, and his or her brothers and sisters haven’t had a chance to really bond with them yet. It’s exciting to see those connections forming and their relationships grow as a happy benefit of the therapy.”
Often, our work is integrated into a family’s regular habits like mealtime, playtime, and family routines. M Street therapists work together with caregivers and family members to help form a care plan and strategy to fit each situation.
“One of the best aspects of working with families in their home is the way your therapy ebbs and flows with what’s going on in the family’s life.”
Incorporating PT Strategies into Real Life
When Raquel travels to a house, she often goes bag-less, meaning she doesn’t bring a lot of outside toys or materials with her. This allows her to find familiar items within the home environment to facilitate therapy.
“In a clinic setting, therapy is often reliant on toys and items at the office. When a parent gets home, it’s challenging to support the progress and development without relying on those toys. When we’re working in the home, we might use something simple like a paper towel roll or the couch cushions. We often incorporate household items the kids are familiar with to play and explore.”
“One child I recently worked with had received a little Fisher Price rollercoaster for Christmas. Rather than simply playing with it like a rollercoaster, we experimented with ways we could include it in their therapy. For example, doing belly scoots over it, crawling with one of the carts, assisted walking up the little hills, and stepping on and off the toy. It’s about using items on hand in new ways the family maybe hadn’t thought of yet.”
Raquel feels strongly that for little babies, the best “toy” or therapy accessory is mom and dad. Getting parents involved in therapy facilitates their bond and strengthens their relationship. It also allows for greater creativity.
Outside of her time at M Street Pediatric Therapy, Raquel has been exploring her new home in Chicago after moving from northeastern Tennessee with her husband and golden retriever. Her son is at Belmont University in Nashville and her daughter lives in Chattanooga. She and her husband are enjoying the city life with concerts, theaters, and new Chicago restaurants.
“I’ve really enjoyed the sense of community here in Chicago and at M Street. I feel very welcomed and the area has so much to offer.” This downtime helps Raquel maintain her tireless dedication to the families under her care.
“I’ve seen so many different situations over my career. Everything from geriatric issues to head injuries to strokes in older children and adolescents. I’ve really worked my way down the age span to pediatrics. I must admit, my favorite age group is 0-1. I love working with babies, especially premature babies. It’s so rewarding to see them grow and thrive.”
Raquel has been a great presence on the M Street staff. She brings an excellent breadth of experience, knowledge, and dedication, which she loves to share with fellow staff members and the families in her care.
“I’ve really enjoyed the sense of community here in Chicago and at M Street. I feel very welcomed and the area has so much to offer.”