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Gender Differences and Head Movements

Gait and Posture published research on gender differences in head stabilization during level walking in youth. Fifteen females and fifteen males, ages 8-11, underwent gait analysis walking at their own speed. Sensors were placed at the pelvis, shoulders and head. The results indicated no differences in acceleration values between the genders at the pelvis and […]

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Physical Activity and Brain Health

The American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine has published a review of the research on academic performance and physical activity levels. Studies have shown that physical activity increases arousal, self esteem and increased secretion of neurotrophins (help the development and function of neurons). In the case of sports participation, attention and mental performance have improved immediately […]

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New Use for a Therapy Ball

Have you ever heard of Drums Alive? It is an aerobic fitness class using therapy balls and drumsticks. This is a great activity incorporating rhythm, aerobic fitness, crossing midline, proprioceptive input and muscle strengthening. In the Drums Alive classes they put the therapy balls on aerobic steps but you could just put them in cardboard […]

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Grant for Children with Special Needs

The UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation is a non profit charity that offers grants up to $5000 for families to help pay for medical services and equipment for children with special needs. This can include physical and occupational therapy, wheelchairs, orthotics, eyeglasses and more. They will also help pay for certain services or items when insurance does […]

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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Children

Chronic fatigue syndrome is rare in children with estimates of approximately 0.05% have this diagnosis. The day to day lives of children with this diagnosis are greatly affected. Pediatric therapists should be aware of this disorder and how it effects the activities of daily living of children. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is characterized by: debilitating […]

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Baby’s Motor Development and Cognitive Scores

A large study by the Centre for Longitudinal Studies analyzed the data of 15,000 children in the United Kingdom. The data revealed that 1 in 10 children exhibited delays in gross and fine motor development at 9 months of age. The delay in motor development at 9 months was significantly associated with delayed cognitive development […]

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Safe Lifting and Transfers

SafeLiftingPortal.com is a great collection of information and articles on safe lifting techniques for therapists. If you need to justify to a school district why they need to purchase special lifting equipment for a student here is a website to start gathering information. There are suggested links for information to give to caregivers regarding safe […]