Dr. Susan Lastra has spent her career in hospital NICUs, early intervention programs, and pediatric rehabilitation. Now she brings all of that directly into the comfort of your home.
Years in pediatric PT
Hospital-based
specialist
Age group
served
Pediatric Physical Therapist
Rutherford, NJ
Dr. Lastra began her career in hospital rehabilitation and spent nearly 20 years as a senior physical therapist at the Institute for Child Development at Hackensack Meridian Health, where she treated infants in the neonatal intensive care unit — including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After decades in clinical and hospital settings, she made the deliberate choice to bring that same level of expertise directly into families’ homes and daycares. Her goal is simple: parents shouldn’t have to drive across town to a sterile clinic when the most effective therapy can happen right where a child is most comfortable.
Known as “Dr. Sue” to the families she works with, she treats the full range — from babies who need just a little coaching on rolling and sitting, to medically complex children on ventilators or feeding tubes who deserve the same quality of care, wherever they are.
Everything you’d want to know about who’s coming into your home.
Arcadia University, Glenside PA
Licensed to practice in the state of New Jersey
Credentialed at Level 2 by the American Physical Therapy Association
NJ-certified school physical therapist
Regular guest lecturer, DPT program — pediatric oncology, early PICU mobility
Completed criminal background checks in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania
American Physical Therapy Association
Professional liability and malpractice insurance for in-home and daycare visits
Every case Dr. Sue sees is informed by decades of real clinical experience — not textbooks, not theory.
Staff PT and departmental supervisor, extended recovery unit for brain injury rehabilitation
Evaluating infants and overseeing therapy transitions in home-based and school settings
Senior PT, Institute for Child Development — directing clinical education and NICU care during COVID-19
Bringing all of it to your home, daycare, or wherever your child is most comfortable
Every case Dr. Sue sees is informed by decades of real clinical experience — not textbooks, not theory.
Dr. Sue has treated some of the most clinically complex babies imaginable — infants on ventilators, children with feeding tubes, trach babies, NICU graduates. If your child has significant medical complexity, she is not only comfortable with it — she has spent her career there.
Dr. Sue has a deep, specific clinical interest in perinatal brachial plexus injury — the nerve damage that can affect arm movement. She has collaborated with the pediatric team at CHOP in Philadelphia and participates in an active BPI therapist mentorship group.
Every session ends with coaching for you, not just exercises for your child. Dr. Sue believes that the most powerful therapy happens in the hours between her visits — and that means making sure parents and caregivers know exactly what to do and why.
Start with a free 10-minute phone conversation — no referral needed, no pressure. Just a chance to talk about your child.
