Tips & Advice
Beyond the Stander
May 28, 2020
by Elena Noble, MPT
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
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
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
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
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...
How To’s
Why use a Rifton Mobile Stander?
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
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...