Childhood development
Resources for families with special needs
When toddlers are learning to walk, many spend some time walking up on their tip toes, which is known as toe walking. Commonly this is to get into things they aren’t meant to, but as they perfect their walking, they walk more with
… READ MOREMore and more Canadians are horsing around with their healthcare. Horse therapy, also known as equestrian or equine-assisted therapy, is a versatile treatment program that has patients galloping to ranches and stables to recover from
… READ MORESchool’s board says no able-bodied children enrolled in integrated program. Parents upset. The board of a Toronto private school with a one-of-a-kind kindergarten class that integrates students with disabilities and able-bodied
… READ MOREOntario begins dissolving its 14 community care access centres next week, but critics insist the move won’t cut red tape, free up money or improve home care for patients. When Carter Keith was five and a half months old, a
… READ MORELet’s make it easy for these kids. Dr. Sarah MacEachern is on a campaign to get kids with disabilities more physically active — and help parents make that happen. MacEachern, a first-year University of Calgary pediatric
… READ MOREWhat were you doing when you were seven years old? Most seven-year-olds are playful and energetic, and enjoy running freely. But cerebral palsy changes a normal perspective into something extraordinary. When I was seven, a brand new
… READ MOREAfter three long years of lobbying and construction, a unique school welcomed its students in for the first time this week [January 2017] in Calgary’s northwest. Students at Christine Meikle used to learn in an aging, cramped
… READ MOREConsider range of motion and alignment when helping children with cerebral palsy push functional limits. A wise child once taught me, Never Say Never. AFOwear by Anthony Calabro, Healio O&P News July 2011 American Academy of
… READ MOREA multidisciplinary approach offered benefits for a pediatric patient who had idiopathic toe walking with severe contractures, according to Nicole M. Harris, PT, PCS, BOCO, of The Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora, Colo. Harris
… READ MOREPediatric toe walking is not necessarily idiopathic and can be the result of an underlying deficit, Megan Smith, CO, director of clinical research at Surestep, said at the Association of Children’s Prosthetic-Orthotic Clinics Annual
… READ MOREWalking barefoot on a gravel surface significantly improved gait in children with idiopathic toe walking, according to research presented here at the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association National Assembly. Researcher Mark
… READ MOREThere are no significant differences in gait or gross mobility between hinged and solid ankle-foot orthoses for patients with cerebral palsy who could walk without an assistive device, according to a study presented at the Association
… READ MORETHE NEXT GENERATION OF KIDS SHOES. PLAE designs premium quality products that are fun, engaging and built for the way kids play. DESIGNED TO FIT Give your kids healthy, happy feet for a lifetime. We’ve engineered PLAE shoes to
… READ MOREThey are not just small adults; some things are very different, though some are just smaller. I often tell our physical medicine and rehabilitation residents in training that there are only two differences between adult and pediatric
… READ MOREThe Calgary Herald has been named a finalist in a prestigious international media awards competition for a 2016 project called Without Limits: Kids With Special Needs. Our Special Children. Taking a break from lunch, 7 year old Emily
… READ MOREEnjoy the use of a custom-fit bike for $75. Trix youth wheels. Hase Come out and try a bike! Register for the 2017 Adapted Bike Program in Calgary. We will have specialists on hand experienced in fitting your child with an adaptive
… READ MOREA Calgary mom is raising money so teenagers can benefit from a program that’s changed her daughter’s life. Christina Ryan dances with her daughter Emily Pitchers in 2016. Leah Hennel, Calgary Herald Photo Annalise Klingbeil,
… READ MOREWomen who are overweight or obese during pregnancy may be increasing the chances that their baby could be born with cerebral palsy, a new study suggests. Excess pre-pregnancy weight may slightly raise baby’s cerebral palsy risk.
… READ MOREResearchers at the University of Granada warn that 23 percent of the girls carry a load over 20 percent of their body weight in their backpack or trolley — well above what is recommended. Backpack or Suitcase? The Travel Hack
… READ MOREStudy shows how the effects of horseback riding improve learning in children. Recent research published in Frontiers in Public Health shows that the effects of vibrations produced by horses during horse-riding lead to the activation
… READ MOREGazeSpeak runs on a smartphone and uses artificial intelligence to convert eye movements into speech, so a conversation partner can understand what is being said in real time. The eyes say it all. GazeSpeak, Enable Team, Microsoft
… READ MOREEmily Pitchers, 16, plucks the strings on a guitar with JB Music therapist Catherine Mitchell during a weekly session at the teenager’s family home. Christina Ryan, Calgary Herald. In celebration of National Music Therapy Month, we
… READ MOREThe OrbIT controller was custom designed to help children with cerebral palsy. David Hobbs photo. Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common childhood physical disability, affecting more than 34,000 Australians, and more than 17 million
… READ MOREVery little in life slows Jillian Peters down. If you catch her in a hallway, the spunky seven-year-old is likely to race you in her hot-pink wheelchair. Cerebral palsy doesn’t define her. Video games are helping children with
… READ MOREThe nine-year-old is currently playing for the Calgary Venom of the Calgary Sledge Hockey Association. On Monday, the Calgary Flames, with the help of Make-A-Wish, signed nine-year-old defenceman Fionn Daly to a one-day contract.
… READ MOREKnee pain is common in children with CP, but given the many health challenges facing this patient population, knee symptoms may not be given high priority. Proper diagnosis and treatment of knee pain, however, can be key to maximizing
… READ MOREEven though learning to waltz had been a lifelong dream for Sarah Cauley, she cancelled just one day before her first lesson. She was unable to open her hand enough for someone to hold it, and was afraid no one would want to try.
… READ MOREA person’s gait affects his or her entire body; movement that causes stress in too many places lead to pain, or injury. However, if a comprehensive motion and gait analysis is performed by a qualified professional, the nature of a
… READ MOREOne in every 1,000 babies suffer from a stroke either in utero or shortly after birth. Edmonton researchers are trying to help those young child stroke patients regain mobility and learn how to walk. Linda Hoang with files from Carmen
… READ MOREHelping patients manage an orthotic device can be challenging, but doing so in the face of uneven terrain is a balancing act between stability, mobility, and strength. Device adjustments and rehabilitation protocols can help
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