 | PT by Parents |
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Some of the most original, effective "home therapies" have come from parents of special needs children. Please share with our visitors what you have found works with your special needs child at home for relaxation, physical therapy, speech therapy and more!
| Therapeutic Parallel Bars |
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By Jaime Simpson, Co-Founder
When my husband and I decided to focus on our daughter's ability to walk, we asked her therapist if parallel bars would help. She said, "Actually, we have some at our office that we don't have room for. A dad made them for his daughter and you are more than welcome to have them."
My husband jumped in his truck and went to pick them up. This homemade walking aide was constructed with a plywood floor covered with outdoor carpet. One two-by-four ran on each side. Then dowel rods came up from each corner. PVC pipe made the vertical and horizontal dowel rods come together at each end. We did not have to adjust the height but the the bars should be positioned at the child's wrist.
When motivated to walk, our daughter enjoys her parallel bars. The only problem is storing them. They are heavy and take up much space. Overall, the parallel bars have been very beneficial. |
| Treadmill |
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By Jaime Simpson, Co-Founder
With our daughter's therapist, we went to a local rehab facility for kids. There, we had Jai use a treadmill to see 1) if she was able to do so; 2) if it made a difference in her ability to talk. The treadmill itself was specifically for such therapy and was able to go below one mile per hour. The treadmill also had a contraption on it much like a Johnny Jump Up that supported our daughter. The only thing we had to do was help her legs bend and make heel-toe strokes on the treadmill.
She resisted at first but then got loose and was eager to continue on.
When I got home, I told my husband that I was sure our treadmill would go slower than one mile per hour. Many cannot without burning up the motor. We purchased it for $200 at Gart's Sports in Wichita when I thought (and promised my husband) I would use it - now used as a clothes hanger in our laundry room. I didn't mind if we broke it trying. The trick was to find a big enough doorway for the treadmill to be under. The doorway is important because we then attached our daughter's Johnny Jump Up to the doorframe and adjusted the height so that she had support but was still bearing weight. We then turned on the treadmill as slow as it would go and I sat on the floor behind it so that I could help her legs bend and her heel-toe strikes. My husband then held the sides of the Johnny Jump Up so that it would not spin.
It worked great and did make a difference. The only two problems: It was impossible to do alone - it took two adults. The only doorway wide enough in our home is between the living and dining rooms. That meant we had a treadmill in the middle of our most used living spaces.
After a few months of doing the treadmill - two days on and two to three days off, we returned it to the laundry room. We made this decision when our daughter's chiropractor suggested less emphasis on walking and more emphasis on the basics. As he explained it, crawling is crucial and is important for so many reasons. As she wasn't yet crawling correctly, we ceased the treadmill workouts and replaced them with crawling exercises. Now, she is crawling correctly 30 percent of the time. While we would like to see this percentage increase, we are going to soon get the treadmill back out and start working on walking more.
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Please keep in mind that these tips are meant to help your child. However, parents sharing these tips are not physicians, physical or occupational therapists. Please consult your child's physician before using any of these methods of home therapy.
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