Education Center Authors Gilbert Thomson
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Gilbert Thomson, PT

Gilbert Thomson, PT

I’ve been a physical therapist since 1996 when I graduated from the University at Stony Brook, and I’ve always enjoyed working with children. I have been involved in product design with Rifton on a number of different projects including tricycles, seating, and toileting products.

Another area of interest for me has been the MOVE program and how it relates to our current understanding of neuroscience and movement. In fact I wrote a book on this called Children with Severe Disabilities and the MOVE Curriculum which was published in 2005. Information regarding my book can be found here.

More recently I spent six years in Australia with my family, doing clinical work and conducting trainings in the use of the MOVE Curriculum. In addition to physical therapy and my work designing new products for Rifton I enjoy spending time with my four children, especially outdoors birding or fishing.

Articles written by this author

Product photo of the Rifton adaptive bath chair the WAVE in the new color blue
Article
The New Wave Bathing & Transfer System vs. Blue Wave Bath Chair
What have we done to improve our old bath chair? Here are the key features that distinguish our new Wave Bathing & Transfer System: Larger and Wider The Wave bathing system still comes in three sizes, but there are some important…
A teacher outside the classroom works with a student on functional mobility using a Rifton Pacer gait trainer.
Article
Adaptive Equipment for Classrooms Series: Part 3 of 3
Today’s post is the third in a series of articles on the topic of adaptive equipment use in the classroom. Adaptive equipment, used appropriately, serves as a teaching tool for students to learn motor skills such as sitting,…
A teacher helps a student in the classroom transition from adaptive standing equipment to a chair
Article
Adaptive Equipment for Classrooms Series: Part 2 of 3
Today’s post is the second in a series of articles on the topic of adaptive equipment use in the classroom. Adaptive equipment, used appropriately, serves as a teaching tool for students to learn motor skills such as sitting,…
A teacher smiled at a special needs student seated in a adaptive chair practicing motor skills on a computer screen
Article
Adaptive Equipment for Classrooms Series: Part 1 of 3
This post is the first in a series of articles on the topic of adaptive equipment use in the classroom. Adaptive equipment, used appropriately, serves as a teaching tool for students to learn the motor skills of sitting, standing, and…
Educators and therapists sitting with children in a colorful special needs playroom, work as a team to help students practice their motor skills
Article
Teamwork in a Task-Oriented Approach
Task-oriented therapy approaches are used widely in school systems across the country. This is because students with disabilities learn and respond to their greatest potential when motor learning is incorporated into functional and…
A therapist assists a child in adaptive chair using a computerized screen to practice motor learning tasks
Article
The MOVE Curriculum as a Task-Oriented Approach
Children with severe disabilities have many complex needs. One of the most evident is a lack of motor control that prevents them from accomplishing functional movement needed for activities of daily life. Therefore, an urgent need for…
Two brothers smiling at the camera are outside on adaptive tricycles with blues skies in the background
Article
Opportunity with a New Set of Wheels
Patrick received his first trike over two years ago because of the difficulty he was having with walking. His endurance was poor, he tended to use a crouch gait and his feet frequently hurt after any ambulation. He started with a small red…
A therapist helps guide a young man during neural plasticity rehabilitation as he walks in a gait trainer
Article
Three Principles of Neural Plasticity to Apply in Your Rehabilitation Practice
There has been a great deal of interest in recent years in the study of plasticity in the nervous system. Plasticity simply means the capacity of the central nervous system to adapt and change. Changes in the structure and function of the…
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Article
MOVE ing Forward
An update on the MOVE Curriculum As many of you will know, we at Rifton have worked with MOVE International over many years. For those who don’t know, the MOVE program is an activity-based curriculum designed to teach students with…
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Article
Compensation and Recovery
Should PTs train for compensation or recovery? Clinicians today are debating whether interventions should focus on teaching whatever is required to accomplish a task (compensation) or promote the neuroplasticity needed to allow the task to…
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Article
Motor Learning Practice part III
Today’s post concludes our discussion on Motor Learning and Practice. The introductory post defined motor learning terminology, discussed the MOVE Curriculum (as an example of applied motor learning) and emphasized the importance of…
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Article
Motor Learning Practice part II
This post continues our discussion begun last week, Motor Skills Learning & Practice part I, where we defined motor learning terminology, discussed the MOVE Curriculum (as an example of applied motor learning) and emphasized the…