|
Cerebral Palsy equipment and accessories including wheelchairs, scooters,
standers, walkers, computers, seating, car seats, braces and dogs. |
|
Seating & Car Seats Seating & Car Seats Many children with Cerebral Palsy have a great deal of trouble sitting in normal chairs.The muscle problems that accompany cerebral palsy are often accompanied by a lot of pain. There are many adaptive chairs used to improve the child’s sitting posture, especially for feeding. Some types of spastic contractions can be lessened by proper sitting position. Generally, an adequately arranged wheelchair with good trunk support, head control, and a lap tray can double up as a feeding chair as well. |
|
Some parents and therapists prefer to have a separate feeding chair. A frequently used type is a tumble form, which is a foam-molded chair in which the child can bend forward. For the child who has a tendency to extend the head and spine, these chairs work well for feeding. However, these tumble form chairs provide very poor postural control for the child that tends to collapse forward and should not be used as wheelchair inserts. They should also not be used for a significant portions of the child’s sitting time during the day. Corner chairs are another form of common seating for disabled children; they help the child to develop balance while sitting and are most frequently designed for use on the floor. These chairs are very simple, but provide excellent seating options to allow the child to develop sitting coordination and balance on the floor. They can also be used in an early school setting so that the child can participate with his peers during floor time. Many children with cerebral palsy find it difficult to sit with their legs straight out in front of them. This becomes problematic when the child is still quite small, and her legs cannot reach to bend over the edge of a couch or chair. This problem is easily remedied by purchasing (or for the crafty parents out there, building) a smaller chair that allows your child to bend her knees, and still maintain good posture. http://www.rifton.com http://www.allegromedical.com/children_pediatric/seating_positioning http://www.healthydesign.com/bss/rehab.html http://www.abledata.com/abledata.cfm?pageid=19327&top=12999&deep=2&trail=22 http://www.rehabpub.com/ltrehab/892000/4.asp
Car Seats Parents of children with cerebral palsy know that it can be quite difficult to safely and comfortably transport your child, especially if he has trouble maintaining an upright position unassisted. Specially-designed car seats can be invaluable for helping with this common problem in caring for a child with special needs and can make traveling to family outings and functions much more safe, fun, and practical. A parent of a child with cerebral palsy should look for features in a car seat that will cater to their child’s specific needs. Especially for children who are severely affected by cerebral palsy, a parent will want to look for seats with many of the following features:
A comfortable, highly-padded headrest will ensure a child who is unable to hold his head upright to be able to rest comfortably in the car, and there is no need for alternative positioning, as most car seats are designed to face forward in any backseat. The depth of the seat will help a child’s legs to remain comfortable, and the double shoulder and lap restraints will help to keep the child in a comfortable and safe position. Many car seats are designed to fit in standard bus and airplane seats, which will enhance any family vacation travel. Some car seats are available with swingaway abductors which help a child with severe muscular contractions to be more comfortable in a car seat. http://www.rifton.com http://www.allegromedical.com/children_pediatric/seating_positioning http://www.allegromedical.com/children_pediatric/car_bus_seats Home | Cerebral Palsy Causes | Cerebral Palsy Forms | Cerebral Palsy Conditions Home | Wheelchairs & Scooters | Standers & Walkers | Computers & Technology |
|
Please feel free to |
|
|
|
|
|
standers, walkers, computers, seating, car seats, braces and dogs. |