Spina bifida

Tips & Advice Beyond the Stander May 28, 2020 by Elena Noble, MPT
A little girl standing in a Rifton Mobile Stander looking at a pet bird in a cage
Encouraging standing development means thinking creatively. In the home, we can teach standing skills during routine sit-to-stand transfers or toileting breaks. Here’s how to get started.
Evidence Based Practice Evidence Update: Using Gait Trainers for Motor Impairments February 16, 2015 by Elena Noble, MPT
Rifton evidence update gait training logo
As professionals who have worked with children with poor motor control, we have no doubt about the importance of a gait trainer. Using gait trainers for upright positioning and ambulation practice for children unable to walk independently has been a long-standing intervention in clinics, schools and homes. But we’ve all lamented the dearth of solid clinical research to support what we’ve...
News The "Adverse Birth Outcome" February 10, 2015 by Carmen Hinkey
A young boy with disabilities looks up at the sky with a big smile
I didn’t know Henry until this morning, but he’s been in my mind all day thanks to what his mother shared so honestly about having him. In case any of us need reminding, the Washington Post carried her beautiful reminder that they are children first, their potential to learn and meet milestones far more important than their disabilities.  And she takes it even farther: She is &ldquo...
Stories Prima Ballerina January 06, 2014 by Elena Noble, MPT
Madi recieves flowers after dancing in her dynamic stander
A Dance Video Like No Other Madi is a dancer. Dressed in her tutu and glowing smile, she dances her heart out alongside other little girls her age in the dance class she attends regularly. Madi is five, and at birth she had the diagnosis of L2 Spina Bifida. This means she has no movement below the hips. But being the creative and fun-loving child that she is, Madi finds a way to do anything she sets her...
Stories Adaptive Tricycle for a Child with Special Needs April 28, 2011 by Elena Noble, MPT
A young Carlos rides his red Rifton adaptive tricycle in front of a brick building
Carlos absolutely loved to ride the tricycle—but it was only available to him at school. It was an old Rifton model, but it worked for him because his trunk was supported and pedaling was easy. The current Rifton adaptive tricycle has superior options for support and guidance including a butterfly harness, trunk laterals, head rest, rear-steering bar, and stationary adapter. Carlos’ family and...
Therapeutic Benefits Benefits of Early Mobility with an Emphasis on Gait Training
A therapist helps position a young girl to be a walker in a mini Rifton Pacer Gait Trainer
Ambulation is defined as the ability to walk from place to place, with or without an assistive device. Locomotion is the ability to move from one place to the next. In human development, independent mobility begins with the locomotion of crawling, and progresses to upright ambulation. During typical development...
How To’s Why use a Rifton Mobile Stander?
rifton mobile stander armprompts
1. To promote upright interaction The Mobile Stander enables clients with conditions such as spina bifida, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, leg amputation, spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury who are unable to stand and walk independently to become mobile while safely supported in an upright position. A client standing in the Mobile Stander is at the eye level of peers, facilitating...
Therapeutic Benefits Standing Tall
rifton mobile stander adjustable
By Mark P. Warner, PT, ATP Pediatric physical therapy has been my career for almost fifteen years. Working in a variety of settings, including acute care, school-based therapy and outpatient rehabilitation, has allowed me to witness the benefits children with special needs gain from using assistive technology. During the past ten years, a considerable amount of my continuing education has focused on...