Black Hills Physical Therapy

Under the care of Alex Buwalda, my daughter went from 3 months behind on gross motor development at 11 months to walking on her own at 15 months, fully caught up to expectations of her age. I reached out to Alex when my baby’s gross motor delays were apparent and we were awaiting both early intervention and orthopedist assessment. We spoke on the phone, and she gave me a broad sense of what might be the issue with my daughter (later confirmed in her in-person assessment) and reassured me that we could address it with physical therapy. Alex explained my options and used her background with EI to share what she thought was likely to happen. She was correct on all counts, and we started working with Alex when my baby was 11 months old. Alex was very flexible, working with my daughter’s daycare to conduct sessions there (a huge help for two working parents). Alex kept us informed and advised the daycare caretakers on exercises to help my daughter develop. I appreciated that Alex was carefully attuned to my daughter’s progress and needs, and adapted the pace of therapy appropriately. I never expected my daughter to walk at 15 months, and she is flourishing - she wasn’t even pulling up to stand when she started physical therapy - and I am so grateful for Alex making this possible.

Rebecca Rindler · via google

Alex was extremely helpful and reassuring when our daughter needed PT, starting from when she was about 2 months old. We started with sessions at our home with Alex and my husband and I, and she showed us exercises and ways to hold our daughter to help stretch her. We also did sessions at Alex’s office, as well as a session with our nanny so she too could see first hand. This was an especially helpful suggestion as it empowered our nanny rather than he getting all her info from me. I’m glad my daughter was discharged and had grown so much, but I’m a bit sad not to see Alex regularly.

Rebecca Kleinhandler-Dahan · via google

We saw Alex for over a year when living in Brooklyn, and she was amazing with our 1 year old. She made our daughter feel comfortable, and always had motivating games and ways to engage her. She helped us as parents better understand the mechanics of what she was doing, gave us tips for what to focus on to help work on her physical limitations I say to day activities, and visited the daycare to provide services in-situ and offer recommendations on how to adapt furniture and play spaces to better accommodate our girl. She knows her stuff, is super professional and her gym/play space is amazing — she was a pleasure to work with.

Isabeau Lalonde · via google

Alex made physical therapy a delight for our five month old daughter, and eased our mind as parents with the concerns that we had. Alex’s home visits made PT convenient for us and specific to how we could better care for our daughter in our home given our setup. More so, Alex was very kind and interacted with our child with ease. She went above and beyond bringing our daughter a special chair that she could use, as well as at least three different toys to help draw her attention in a specific direction to guide her muscle strengthening. We’re truly grateful for Alex’s assistance with our daughter and would recommend her to anyone else in the NY area looking for this special type of home PT.

Bethany Bowyer Khan · via google

We worked with Alex for over a year and can't say enough good things. She was an amazing physical therapist for our daughter. She helped us understand her motor delays before the doctors did and gave us great exercises to incorporate into our everyday routine. We learned so much from her and I can't imagine how far behind we would be if we hadn't found her when we did. Alex was always professional, she came to our home for sessions and we worked out of her sensory gym too. She's kind and intuitive when it comes to children and understands how to work with a wide range of needs.

Carol Brow · via google