| Description |
Gravity influences infant development in many ways, from triggering vestibular processing to developing and strengthening muscles. Due to a number of factors, including improper positioning, lack of typical sensory motor opportunities, other environmental factors, and/or diagnoses of failure to thrive, autism, sensory processing disorders, etc., many of today's children are delayed in their sensory motor development when compared with past generations. These delays are particularly apparent in lack of core strength, proximal stability, and upper extremity coordination. Along with other treatment strategies, gravity can be used by therapists to enhance development, reflex integration and motor coordination. A variety of intervention strategies that engage vestibular mechanisms and take advantage of gravitational influences, including some innovative equipment, will be discussed and demonstrated via labs & video presentation.
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