Benefits of Early Mobility and Repetition
Let’s think about this. We all know the phrase, “If you don’t use it, you lose it”, right? Well, same goes for developing skills and muscles. Not that you lose it, but if you don’t get the opportunity to gain skills necessary for functional movement, it will be way harder to achieve those skills. If…
Quick Tips For Traveling With A Disability
Traveling with a disability can be very difficult. In fact, finding ADA compliant hotels, restaurants, sidewalks, buses, beaches, planes, pools, or anything else can be a full-time job! But, do not fret, it is possible with some planning and a couple of tips. So before you go booking something this summer here are some things…
What It Means To Have A “Weak Core”
Parents of children with movement difficulties – no matter the diagnosis – are often told by doctors, therapists, and other health professionals that their child has “a weak core”. Okay so they can’t do a sit up or they have weak abdominals…but that’s not really all that goes into a “weak core” or poor posture.…
5 Benefits of Body Weight Supported Treadmill Training (Even If Your Child “Can’t Walk”)
Body Weight Supported Treadmill Training (BWSTT) is a long fancy name for walking on a treadmill with support. “Body weight supported” is usually done with the help of certain types of equipment (i.e Universal exercise unit, gait trainer, etc.) Here specifically, are the things I have seen it help with firsthand. Improved Endurance: Ahhh yes,…
5 Reasons Why Your Child May Have Balance Issues
We see and hear reports of balance issues a lot…. whether your child has difficulty navigating throughout the community or even just a hard time standing in place by themselves, balance is HUGE for their ability to perform daily tasks independently. There are not only five reasons your child may have poor balance, but here…
Do You Want To Understand What It Is Like?
Throughout the years I have been working with special needs families, one thing has always remained consistent; They are treated differently. I have heard countless stories of struggles parents face, but also some really amazing stories too. I recently had a conversation of a mother of a child I work with. We were talking about…
Speech and How it Relates to Muscle Control
Over the years there have been research articles linking speech and voice production to gross motor development and control. Cut the fancy lingo and what do you have? Speech production is linked to physical strength and milestone achievement! How? Well, let’s explain… So to understand the correlation, you first have to understand two different muscle…
Why You Should Break The Habit of W-Sitting
Bad habits …. we all have them. Whether is biting your nails, fidgeting with your pen, cracking your knuckles….the list is endless. Usually these are pretty harmless poor habits but other times, like W-Sitting, it can have a significant effect on your child. A lot of the time parents don’t even know what it is…
Proof that Parents Need Support
Just this month, an article came out about parent experiences in transitions for their child with Cerebral Palsy. I read through the article full of parent experiences when transitioning their child to developmental/rehab services. This article is specific to parents with children with Cerebral Palsy, however this can relate to all parents of special needs…
5 Tips for a G-Tube Blended Diet
I am no nutritionist, but I have been speaking with some other professionals in the field about G-tube fed diets and have discovered a few consistent themes in these conversations. If your child isn’t on formula anymore or you are in the process of switching from formula to a blended diet – make sure to…
