Transcription
It is vital to create an ideal environment for your child to move. Two things are fundamental in the creation of human movement. The first is providing your child with the maximum opportunity to move. The second is creating the ideal environment where your child can move.
The ideal environment for your child's mobility is the one that allows your child to move easily, to move with greatest degree of independence, to move happily and enjoy himself as he does so. Each level of the mobility pathway has a specific ideal environment that will create the greatest success for your child.
The immobile child needs a clean, warm, smooth floor on which to move. Most children will move when giving even enough time to experiment on the floor. If the child cannot move forward on the floor, then we provide a more user friendly floor by creating a slide for the child to come down. The slide makes forward movement possible for the child. For the first time, the child learns it's easy to move.
Once a child begins moving on the floor, he should have unlimited space. Be aware of stairs, sharp corners, and electrical sockets. When a child begins to crawl all over his house and for his needs, make the distance greater. The surface should then gradually transition from a smooth floor to carpet. Carpet provides friction and this means he will have to work harder in order to crawl on such a surface. This is a need preparation for creeping.
When a child begins to hold the quad position and creep on his hands and knees, he needs a carpet floor. A carpet surface will allow him a firm grip and enable him to balance himself and feel secure. As a child begins to creep with more confidence, he will do so on any surface.
When a child begins to walk, he must do so in a flat surface and in a safe environment. Ideally, he should walk barefoot inside the house and wear thin so shoes outdoors. An idea environment provides unlimited opportunities for the brain injured child to walk on all types of terrains. A child who walks for all his needs but is not yet running can benefit from different environments to allow him to improve his balance and eventually to be able to run when he can take both feet off the ground at the same time.
A userfriendly and appropriate environment at each mobility stage is essential to promote mobility in the brain injured child. This opportunity to move move is a powerful way to ensure brain growth and development and to grow the brain.