Developmental disabilites

PT/OT Getting Better Seat Positioning for the Child with Cerebral Palsy August 22, 2017 by Lori Potts, PT
A teacher smiles at a child with cerebral palsy who is touching a computer screen from her adaptive chair
Cerebral Palsy is a result of early damage to the parts of the brain that control muscle movements. Coordination and posture will be affected to varying degrees and symptoms can range from mild to severe physical disability (1). Some children with cerebral palsy can have mental retardation, seizures, or speech/hearing deficits as well. Although it is not progressive, cerebral palsy is a permanent condition...
PT/OT Using Adaptive Equipment to Foster Participation in Vocational Settings August 04, 2017 by Connie Johnson, PT, DScPT
A woman with disabilities stands in a red Pacer gait trainer to access her vocational work in a sheltered workshop.
Physical therapists have long advocated for the use of standers and gait trainers to support the mobility, accessibility and health needs of youth and adults with mobility impairments including education of families/school teams and use of equipment in activity programs. Use of gait trainers, standers and other mobility devices allow individuals mobility they would not be able to achieve due to...
PT/OT Busting that Persistent Myth about Adaptive Bikes and Recreation July 18, 2017 by Codi Andersen, DPT
A young boy in a blue shirt and shorts rides on a green adaptive bike as his therapist helps to push him for functional mobility exercise.
I love the adaptive tricycle and the opportunities it affords many of my students. But how often have insurance companies denied requests for adaptive tricycles because they only see the recreational purpose? For my students with the most severe disabilities, the tricycle is a life-saver, and often the only piece of adaptive equipment that will help them achieve functional gains and participation. I&rsquo...
Tips & Advice Weight-bearing Assistance and Pelvic Positioning with the New Pacer Gait Trainer June 20, 2017 by Lori Potts, PT
pacer gait trainer multi positioning saddle
Rifton’s new Pacer gait trainer has three options for weight-bearing assistance and positioning of the hip girdle:   1. the multi-positioning saddle   2. the hip positioner,  and   3. the pelvic support Here’s a brief description of each with our recommendations to help you choose the right one for your clients. Multi-Positioning Saddle The multi...
Tips & Advice Lifespan Care for People with Disabilities May 23, 2017 by Elena Noble, MPT
resources adults developmental disabilities
Providing activity and mobility interventions for young adults with disabilities after they leave the school system is important, particularly for maintaining quality of life. Unfortunately this outlook is not shared by everyone. A physical therapist working with young adults with developmental disabilities wrote this to me after her efforts to get adaptive equipment for her clients had been...
Evidence Based Practice Evidence Update: Improving Services for Youth with Disabilities April 13, 2017 by Elena Noble, MPT
A therapist helps a student with disabilities use an adaptive sewing machine as part of the school-based transitional services program.
For a child with disabilities, few transitions are as fraught as the passage from youth to adult, usually around age 21. While the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) makes some provision for transitional services for youth as they prepare to move out of the school system for “further education, employment or independent living,” these services are often poorly defined and...
PT/OT Toileting Initiative Produces Great Results March 20, 2017 by Ashley Rogers, DPT
toileting goals battle monument school
It all started when therapists from the three special day schools of Baltimore County Public Schools sat down to talk at one of our yearly meetings. The discussion turned from the mundane to the visionary, how to provide more functional, purposeful activities for our kiddos throughout the day. And, of all things, we talked about toileting. As a vital part of the student’s day, we wanted the toileting...
Stories No Way Jose! March 14, 2017 by Rachel Mercer, Sales Rep
rifton mobile stander disability donation
“Jose! Jose! No way Jose!"  Lined up on the playground, 500 elementary students chanted their support for Jose as he propelled his very own Rifton mobile stander across the platform at Mayflower Elementary. Then down the long ramp he went to the playground surrounded quickly by his friends, family, the Monrovia mayor, police officers and firemen (and many cameras). What a day! A bright and...
PT/OT Benefits of Early Mobility January 23, 2017 by Elena Noble, MPT
Ella and sister up close
Early Gait Training: Positive Outcomes for the Long Term Think about it. The more you practice, the better you get – at anything. As author Malcolm Gladwell explains in his book “Outliers,” the one point that distinguishes a violinist from a virtuoso is practice- at least 10,000 hours of it. This applies to any field regardless of nature or nurture. So with early gait training, a child...
Stories An Unlikely Hero January 02, 2017 by Susanna Mommsen, Marketing Associate
A man plays a guitar and sings to help a boy in a special needs chair focus on the task he is performing
At Rifton we talk a lot about heroes. They are the people we meet at schools and hospitals who care for people with multiple – and sometimes overwhelming – disabilities. People like Alicia in the photo at right, a physical therapist at Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center in Yonkers, who is helping Derrick learn to walk. But take another look. Something has caught Derrick’s eye. Notice the...
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