Community Highlights: Meet Ya-Ju Wang of Movement Matters Physical Therapy Inc.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ya-Ju Wang.

Hi Ya-Ju, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey into pediatric physical therapy started with a simple belief: every child deserves to be understood, supported, and given the opportunity to reach their potential. As a pediatric PT, I’ve had the privilege of working with babies and young children through some of their earliest and most important developmental milestones. Over the years, I realized that what families often need is more than just therapy—they need someone to listen to their concerns, explain what is happening with their child, and give them the confidence and tools to help their child at home.

But my two boys have truly shaped the direction of my business and the kind of therapist I want to be.

When I had my first son, he was born with both a tongue tie and lip tie. As a new mom, I remember feeling incredibly helpless. I knew something wasn’t quite right, but I didn’t have the knowledge or the resources to understand what was happening or how I could help him. Eventually, I found a physical therapist who specialized in treating babies with oral restrictions and related body tension. Seeing how much she could help babies and their families completely changed my perspective. I became so passionate about this area that I decided to complete the same specialized training so I could provide this support to other families.

That personal experience became one of the driving forces behind Movement Matters Physical Therapy. I wanted to create a practice where therapy feels personal, compassionate, and empowering—not simply a place where a child receives treatment, but a place where parents feel heard, understood, and confident in helping their child. Becoming a mother also gave me a completely different perspective on what it feels like to sit on the other side of the treatment table. I understand the worry, uncertainty, and sometimes even guilt that can come with wondering whether your child is developing the way they should.

My second son has continued to shape me and my business in different ways. Being a mother of two has reminded me that every child is unique, and that development doesn’t always look the same from one child to another. My experiences with my own children have made me even more passionate about looking at the whole child—not just a single milestone or body part—and helping parents understand how movement, posture, feeding, oral function, play, and the child’s environment can all be connected.

As the practice has grown, so has my vision. I continue to provide one-on-one care for infants and young children, with a special focus on developmental milestones, head shape and torticollis, early movement development, and the connection between the whole body and early development. I also wanted to make specialized education more accessible, which has led me to develop parent education, online resources, and courses so I can reach families beyond my local community.

I’m especially passionate about serving families in both English and Mandarin. I believe that when parents truly understand what is happening with their child—and feel comfortable asking questions and participating in the process—they become their child’s greatest advocate.

What started as a desire to help individual children has grown into a much bigger mission. Movement Matters is about empowering parents with knowledge, confidence, and practical tools so they can understand their child, support their development, and enjoy those precious early years with less fear and more confidence.

My boys didn’t just inspire me to become a better pediatric therapist—they helped shape the heart and purpose of my business. Everything I continue to build through Movement Matters comes back to the same thing: helping babies and young children grow, move, and thrive, while making sure their parents never feel as helpless as I once did.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not. There have been many challenges along the way, but each one has taught me something and shaped the way I practice and grow my business.

When COVID hit, I had to transition my practice to telehealth almost overnight. Pediatric physical therapy is very hands-on, so initially it was difficult to imagine how I could provide meaningful care through a screen. I had to learn to be creative—to observe children differently, demonstrate activities clearly, and most importantly, teach parents how to become an active part of their child’s therapy. That experience completely changed the way I think about pediatric care. I realized how powerful parent education can be when families are given the knowledge and confidence to help their children at home.

That experience also sparked my desire to create online courses and educational resources for families who may not have access to specialized pediatric therapy, whether because of location, finances, scheduling, or limited availability of providers. I want to take what I’ve learned clinically and make it accessible to more families.

The challenge has been finding the time to actually build that vision. I’m a single mom raising two boys, and I also homeschool through a hybrid program, while continuing to run and grow my practice. There are many days when I’m balancing being a business owner, therapist, educator, and mom all at once. Because of that, building my online education platform has been much slower than I originally hoped.

But I’ve learned that slow progress is still progress. I’m building this business intentionally, around both my passion for helping families and the life I want to create for my children. The road has definitely not been smooth, but the challenges have pushed me to become more creative, resilient, and intentional about the kind of impact I want Movement Matters to have.

As you know, we’re big fans of Movement Matters Physical Therapy Inc. . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Movement Matters Physical Therapy is a pediatric physical therapy practice focused on helping babies and young children grow, move, and thrive with confidence. I work primarily with infants and children from birth to around age three, supporting families through some of the most important—and sometimes most overwhelming—stages of early development.

My practice specializes in developmental evaluations and parent coaching, gross motor development, head shape and torticollis, early movement and milestone concerns, and the connection between oral function, body tension, posture, and movement. I also work with babies who have feeding-related concerns and oral restrictions such as tongue and lip ties, using a whole-body approach rather than looking at the mouth or the neck in isolation.

What sets Movement Matters apart is that I don’t want parents to simply bring their child to therapy and wait for the therapist to “fix” something. My goal is to educate and empower parents so they understand *why* their child is moving a certain way and, more importantly, what they can do every day through play, positioning, movement, and interaction to support their child’s development. I believe parents are an incredibly important part of their child’s therapeutic team.

My own experience as a mother has deeply influenced this philosophy. When my first son was born with a tongue and lip tie, I remember how helpless I felt trying to understand what he needed. Finding a pediatric PT who specialized in this area changed my perspective and ultimately led me to pursue additional training myself. That experience continues to remind me how important it is for parents to have someone who listens to them, validates their concerns, and gives them practical answers they can actually use.

I’m also proud that Movement Matters is bilingual in English and Mandarin. I want families to feel comfortable communicating, asking questions, and learning about their child’s development in the language that feels most natural to them. I believe that access to quality information and education should not be limited by language.

One of the things I’m most proud of brand-wise is the heart behind the name “Movement Matters.” Movement really does matter—not just because it helps a child reach the next milestone, but because movement is connected to how children explore their world, interact with others, build confidence, and develop independence. I want Movement Matters to represent more than physical therapy. I want it to be a trusted resource for parents navigating those early years.

My long-term vision is to take what I’ve learned from working one-on-one with families and make it available to many more parents through online education, courses, and practical resources. There are so many families who cannot easily access specialized pediatric care, and I want to help bridge that gap.

Ultimately, Movement Matters is about empowering parents. I want parents to leave feeling less worried, more informed, and more confident in supporting their child. That is what I hope people remember about my brand: **I’m not just treating the child—I’m educating and empowering the whole family.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
If you have a genuine desire to help people, just go for it. You don’t have to have everything figured out before you take the first step. I certainly didn’t know where my journey would take me when I started, and some of the most meaningful opportunities in my career came from simply being willing to learn, try something new, and follow what I was passionate about.

I also wish I had understood earlier that growth doesn’t always happen quickly or look the way you imagined it would. There will be challenges, setbacks, and seasons when progress feels slow. But if you stay connected to your purpose and keep moving forward, you never know what you can build.

For me, the most rewarding part of being a business owner is realizing that the impact can go far beyond one individual. When I help a child, I’m also helping their parents feel more confident. When I educate a parent, that knowledge can continue to benefit their child every day at home. And when I share what I’ve learned with more families through education and resources, the impact can become even bigger.

So my advice is: **start with the desire to make a difference, take the first step, and allow the journey to unfold. You never know how far it can take you or how many lives you may ultimately touch.

Pricing:

• $250 for evaluation
• $200 for ongoing treatment
• I partner with San Gabriel and Pomona Regional Center. You can access my care that way without charge.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://movementmattersdpt.com/home
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/movement_matterspt/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MovementMattersPhysicalTherapy/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@movementmattersphysicalthe1642