Your Therapy Source Blog » pediatric physical therapy

Fall Activity: Kick Box Painting

Administrator — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:33:00 +0000

Try this fun activity for children of all abilities – kick box painting. Adapt the activity as necessary by placing the box where the child can complete any active movement to knock it over.

Planning a Therapy Session

Administrator — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 10:31:00 +0000

Therapists can follow in the footsteps of teachers and create lesson plans for therapy sessions. This can be especially useful for group sessions or push in therapy. When the lesson plan is written, provide a copy to the teacher or parent to inform them of your goals for the session. It is a great way to establish better communication between the special education team. Here is some information to include when creating a plan for a therapy session:

1. Goal: Establish the primary goal of the session.

2. Materials Needed: List the equipment necessary for the session.

3. IEP Goals Being Met: List the student’s IEP goals that are being addressed.

4. Instruction:

a. Explain to the children what the goal is of the session

b. Write down all the steps you will take to reach the goal

5. Evaluate: How will you evaluate whether the goal was reached?

a. Formal

b. Informal

c. Rubric

d. Test

6. Closure: Wrap up the session reviewing and/or summarizing the skills that were taught.

7. Modifications: List any modifications that can adapt the lesson plan for each child if necessary.

Not only will you be prepared for the therapy session, you will be prepared for documentation and planning for the next session.

Print out the form below to get started.

Peds OT and PT Help in Mexico

Administrator — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 16:20:00 +0000

Exercise Programs in Males Versus Females with Cystic Fibrosis

Administrator — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 13:35:00 +0000

An interesting study was published in The Journal of Pediatrics comparing the fitness levels of males and females with cystic fibrosis. A 6 week inpatient rehabilitation program was conducted with 158 females and 186 males subjects (ages 12-43 years) with cystic fibrosis. Lung function, peak oxygen uptake, peak workload, and peak heart rate were measured. The results indicated the following:

lower lung function in males
lower aerobic capacity in females
same training effects were seen in males and females for peak oxygen uptake and peak heart rate but not in peak work load
individuals who were less fit at the start of the program showed the most improvement

The researchers concluded that fitness level and not lung function determined the improvements following the 6 week rehabilitation program.

Reference: Wolfgang Gruber, MSc, PhDa, David M. Orenstein, MDb, Klaus Michael Braumann, MDc, Karl Paul, MDd, Gerd Hüls, MDe Effects of an Exercise Program in Children with Cystic Fibrosis: Are There Differences between Females and Males? The Journal of Pediatrics Abstract September 2010 doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2010.07.033

Exercise and the Brain in Kids

Administrator — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 21:11:00 +0000

The New York Times published a great article on the neurocognitive benefits of exercise on children. One recent study discovered that children who were fit had a significantly larger basal ganglia. Another study indicated that children who were more fit had a significantly larger hippocampus. Additional studies are cited regarding the benefits of aerobic exercise on academic abilities. This is a quick read that summarizes recent research. How about print it out and provide to parents and school administrators to promote physical activity in children?

You can view the article entitled Phys Ed: Can Exercise Make Kids Smarter? at the New York Times, September 15, 2010 edition written by Gretchen Reynolds.

Sitting and Developmental Delay

Administrator — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 13:46:00 +0000

Pediatric Physical Therapy has published research on the relationship between the ability to sit upright and developmental delay. Sixty five infants were evaluated when the babies were learning to sit. The amount and variability of the center of pressure (COP) of sitting was measured and data was collected. After data analysis, the results indicated that the variability of the center of pressure when learning to sit could “discriminate between infants with developmental delay and cerebral palsy”. The researchers concluded that the center of pressure is an objective tool to be used to help to identify sitting postures and motor delays.

Reference: Kyvelidou, Anastasia; Harbourne, Regina T.; Stergiou, Nicholas. Severity and Characteristics of Developmental Delay Can Be Assessed Using Variability Measures of Sitting Posture Pediatric Physical Therapy. 22(3):259-266, Fall 2010. doi: 10.1097/PEP.0b013e3181ea75f1

Robotic Motorized Wheelchair Trainer

Administrator — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:01:00 +0000

A feasibility study was performed to determine the design and usage of a robotic motorized wheelchair trainer. This robotic wheelchair trainer was designed to steer itself along a course using computer vision. Using technology that interacts with the person’s touch (otherwise known as haptic guidance), the driver’s hand was guided in steering actions using a force feedback joystick. Twenty two children without motor impairment (ages 4-9) were trained during a single session. The results indicated that the guided wheelchair training significantly improved the steering ability of the typically developing children compared to no training sessions. One 8 year old boy with cerebral palsy and severe motor impairment improved his ability to steer the motorized wheelchair even more that the typical developing children. The researchers concluded haptic guidance robotic training offers a fun, safe way to develop motorized wheelchair driving skills in addition to facilitating motor learning.

You can read the entire open access study at the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation
Reference:Laura Marchal-Crespo, Jan Furumasu and David J Reinkensmeyer. A robotic wheelchair trainer: design overview and a feasibility study Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation 2010, 7:40doi:10.1186/1743-0003-7-40

Ankle Strength and Osteogenesis Imperfecta

Administrator — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:49:00 +0000

The most recent issue of Pediatric Physical Therapy published research on ankle strength and function in 20 children and adolescents with Type I Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) compared to 20 aged match controls (ages 6-18). In one evaluation session the following information was collected on each subject: strength assessment, Gillette Functional Assessment Questionnaire, Pediatric Outcome Data Collection Instrument (PODCI), and Faces Pain Scale—Revised. The results indicated muscular weakness in the ankle plantar flexors of the children with OI. Limitations were seen in function with regards to sports and physical function along with pain/comfort. The researchers recommend using the evaluation tools when setting goals for children with OI.

Reference: Caudill, Angela MPT; Flanagan, Ann PT, PCS; Hassani, Sahar MS; Graf, Adam MS; Bajorunaite, Ruta PhD; Harris, Gerald PhD; Smith, Peter MD Ankle Strength and Functional Limitations in Children and Adolescents With Type I Osteogenesis Imperfecta Pediatric Physical Therapy: Fall 2010 – Volume 22 – Issue 3 – p 288–295 doi: 10.1097/PEP.0b013e3181ea8b8d

Positive Reinforcement

Administrator — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:23:00 +0000

With the start of the school year, teachers, parents and therapists will face so many different children and behaviors. One way to encourage compliant behavior during therapy sessions, in the classroom and home is to establish a system of positive rewards. Based on your own criteria, children are rewarded for “good” behaviors. This can be done with various simple tools. Try a sticker chart, linking paper chains, pinning up a certain number of clothes pins, etc. to promote the desired behavior. When the goal is reached of a certain number of stickers, paper chains or clothes pins give the child or group a reward. Or try our free printable from http://www.yourtherapysource.com/ – Therapy Bingo (see below). Here are some fun, creative reward ideas for a group that are free and movement related:

1. Carnival Party: Set up different carnival stations that promote eye hand coordination skills i.e. throw bean bags at bottles, hoops over bottles, etc. The children can earn tickets as prizes. At the end of carnival, turn tickets in for coupons such as free play playground for 10 minutes.

2. Olympics: Create different stations of various Olympic act ivies. Give each participant a medal (just print one off of computer for them to string on yarn)

3. Playground Time: How about a playground party? The children can be allowed to use the playground for 30 minutes as a reward.

4. Nature Walk: Plan a nature walk as a reward. Children love the break of fresh air during the school day. Walk around the school grounds setting an example to other classes. The kids will love to show off their reward and see other children working so hard while they get a nice break outdoors.

5. Gym Time: This can be hard to organize, but if the gym is free for a short period during the day, reward the children with free play in the gym. Provide cones, balls and hoops. This activity is sure to be a hit.

6. Therapy Time: If your school does have a therapy room, how about rewarding children with some free play in the therapy room. Therapists and teachers could collaborate to provide this reward. Kids would love some free play with all the therapists unique toys.

What ideas do you have for movement related rewards?

Therapy Bingo

5 Ways to Get the Most Out of a Therapy Session

Administrator — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:50:00 +0000

Pediatric therapy sessions last for only a short period of time. A common frequency of pediatric therapy is visit per week for a 30 minute sessions. It is very difficult to make substantial change during 30 minutes. Therefore, during each therapy session, therapists should be offering carry over of skills to the classroom and home. Here are 5 ways to get the most out of a therapy session:

1. Teach strategies that are appropriate for the child’s level and the care giver’s level. Certain techniques require several teaching lessons for an adult care giver. In addition, once a technique is taught do not forget to review it in the future.

2. Children learn new skills through multiple practice sessions. Offer suggestions on how specific skills can be practiced over and over during the course of a regular day.

3. Provide visual directions and hand outs that offer more information on specific techniques or activities. This can provide predictability for the children and review for the adults.

4. Be very specific on your expectations and suggestions by setting realistic goals for the week until the next visit. Teachers and parents have other children that they are responsible for on a daily basis. Make sure the goals set are achievable. For example, “Johnny will practice putting his shoes on at least one time per day each day this week”.

5. Remember to allow children to be children. This might sound obvious but children enjoy playing and having fun. Boring tasks may result in non compliance or behavioural issues. Keep practice tasks fun and novel. Vary tasks when able and allow children to choose what activities to practice. Act like a child yourself and you may get better results. Follow the child’s lead. You may land up learning more than the child.

For simple activities to carry out throughout the day check out Therapeutic Activities for Home and School.