Standing programs for children with disabilities are part of the natural routine at Normandy Park Preschool. Advance for Physical Therapy and Rehab Medicine magazine recently published an insightful article called, Let’s Stand Together. Written by a PT and OT team that work for Normandy Park, the article emphasizes the importance of routines for children and how to help kids succeed with a standing program by making it part of the natural routine of their school day. Writers Laura Krueger, PT and Mary Coleman, OT write that, “Being in a stander during the natural routine of the school day allows children to work on all areas of development, including language, cognitive and social skills, while also emphasizing their motor skill development.”
Laura and Mary also know the importance of fun, repetition, and social interaction in a child’s typical school day. Children stay motivated and learn more while they are having fun. With this in mind, the students at Normandy Park take part in activities such as singing at circle time, reading books, painting and playing with friends to redirect them from the fact that they are doing all this while in their stander.
Here, Lily stands in her EasyStand while reading a book with the help of a voice output communication aid, attached with an extension arm. She reads by activating the switch with her head and her friends turn the pages.
Another key factor to school standing program success is repetition. Mary and Laura work closely with their students’ families to get the child a stander for home use, in addition to school. They also utilize standers that can easily go from sit to stand, like the EasyStand Bantam, allowing kids to stand for a while, then take a break in a sitting or supine position, all without being transferred out of the stander. The article explains, “When the standing program is used on a consistent basis in the classroom, it also helps create a predictable environment for the child with clear expectations for optimal learning.”
“When the standing program is used on a consistent basis in the classroom, it also helps create a predictable environment for the child with clear expectations for optimal learning.”
In addition to the medical benefits of standing, standing helps children to better socially interact with their peers. At Normandy Park, they focus on keeping the children with disabilities in the classroom with their peers, and incorporate standing therapy into their day. Whether in the classroom or gym, the child with a disability feels more included and part of the group, when they can be interacting with other students who are standing. Games, art projects or puzzles can all be played interactively on the stander’s tray with a small group of kids. Laura and Mary have noticed another benefit from standing, “When children with disabilities are standing and moving around the gym with friends, we often hear many more vocalizations and language since they are communicating.”
It is great to hear activity ideas and success stories from therapists, teachers, and parents who have experienced what standing therapy can do for kids. Here is a case study about one little girl that Laura and Mary have worked with a Normandy Park – Standing is Part of Lily’s Natural Routine at School.
Does your child stand in school or at home? How do you make standing part of their everyday routine? How do you make standing fun for them? Please add your comments below.
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