OK, folks,

In my continual quest for self improvement and gainful employment, I have come across a situation where I may be able to assist someone and help myself at the same time. The only problem is, I need some information that I'm having difficulty finding (I'm not always the best at keyword selection).

Here's the deal: a lady at our church has a son who is about 9 or 10 and has cerebral palsy. Because he's not going to be able to walk, she's having a great deal of difficulty obtaining physical therapy for him. Since I have similar job skills already acquired, I have been thinking about trying to obtain a degree as a Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant (LPTA), and offering my services to her family and applying those hours to the hours I would need for my clinicals (while helping her try to obtain coverage for those hours down the road).

The question I have is: does anyone know someone who is an LPTA? If so, how long do you have to study, and where would I find classes in my area? I would appreciate any help you can give me in this.