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Hand Splints for Children with Cerebral Palsy

A systemic review was recently published on the effectiveness of hand splints for children with cerebral palsy.  Six studies met the inclusion criteria and all were only on children with cerebral palsy.  Five studies were on non functional hand splints and one study was on functional hand splints.  The results indicated the following: in children […]

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Dosing for Standing Programs

Pediatric Physical Therapy published a systemic review and evidence based clinical recommendations for dosing of pediatric supported standing programs.  After reviewing the literature the following was recommended: standing programs 5 days per week, 60-90 minutes per day, positively affect bone mineral density standing programs 5 days per week, 60 minutes per day in  30° to […]

Follow Through with Home Physical Therapy Programs

Musculoskeletal Care published research on adherence to home physiotherapy in children and young people with joint hypermobility.  Twenty eight families participated in a qualitative study that included multidisciplinary treatment interventions including physical therapy for children (5-17 years old).  The parents and the children reported that exercise helped the symptoms of joint hypermobility.  There was increased […]

Learning Pencil Grip

A pediatric occupational therapist from Australia, Ingrid King, has created an adorable lesson on learning the proper pencil grip.  She uses 5 animals to practice several finger movements.  There is a story included to help the children learn the proper pencil grip.  It is a free and you can download it here from Love2LearnandGrow.com. 

Yoga App Review – Super Stretch Yoga

Here is another app, Super Stretch Yoga, to get kids moving and it is free!  This is a nice overall app with simple directions and a slow pace (great for those kids who need some extra time to learn a pose).  Here are benefits: combines technology with movement slower pace you can repeat the pose […]

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Physical Performance of Children who are Overweight

Pediatric Physical Therapy published research on 70 children (5-9 years old) comparing overweight/obese children to healthy weight children with regards to gait, balance, muscle strength, and physical activity.  The results indicated that when compared to peers of healthy weight  the children who were overweight/obese exhibited the following: a significantly increased base of support while walking […]

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Motor Skills and Motor Planning in Autism

The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders published research on motor abilities in autism. Using a computational approach the researchers broke down motor control into different components.They discuss altered motor behavior in children with autism such as: slower repetitive hand and foot movements slower and less accurate manual dexterity  diadochokinesis – ability to rapidly perform […]