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Beach Walking – Backwards

Now that it is Summer, we wish to remi3599139c8f4d9ba5c86ec8cef754f758nd all parents of children with some kind of walking function of the great value of the backwards walking in the sand for children with gait difficulties. Whether they are walking with support or walking free, the backwards walking is the perfect active exercise for them!

When walking forwards a child or an adult  with gait problems tends to use the “falling tree” method for his  momentum. Because the person cannot control the weight transfer through the foot, ankle and knee, he or she simply lets the upper body fall forwards and then catches up with the feet. This is not the correct sequence of activation for the walking.

When walking backwards, this is not possible. The child needs to lift the foot first, transfer the weight onto the leg. When walking backwards one needs to activate the step from the trunk, and the foot clearance is necessary. The trunk limb coordination goes in the correct sequence!

Therefore – whether the child can walk backwards alone, or needs some support of one or two hands, walking backwards barefoot on the sand or in the grass if there is no beach, is the absolute best Summer exercise for your child. For those who need support – try to vary the support – sometimes give two hands, sometimes one hand – from the right or the left.

We wish you a great Summer with the backwards walking style.

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ABR is: Parent Driven Development

 

Today’s world is a world of “specialists”. But there is at least one jewel of knowledge that even the poorest and the richest parents of special needs children share!  The richest parents know it because they have traveled the globe searching for the best doctors that modern medicine can supply –  and they have found out what the poorest parents know by default:  That in the end, the parent is responsible for a handicapped child.  The destiny of this child lies exhaustively in the hands of the parent in a more intense manner than that of any healthy child ever does.

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What is it that definitely does not help a handicapped child to improve:

  •  parent uncertainty
  • parent exhaustion
  • parent remorse
  • parent pressure (on the child)

 

What ABR can do for all parents of children with cerebral palsy, brain injury, genetic illness and other disorders is to give a deep sense of reassurance that lies in the knowledge of the developmental potential of each person no matter how severe the illness.

Every child can improve.

When you the parent become the driver of your child’s rehabilitation, your focus changes from “cure” to “development”.   Improvements matter, each increment of change matters.  You realize all this because it is happening under your own hands.  You observe how small increments of change accumulate and one day begin to bring huge transformations!  A “cure” does not happen from one day to another, but is a process that can occur over time.  You start to see that the unique thing about human beings is that they develop – they can transform and that development is the most essential aspect of childhood – and even of adult life.

It is a great tool – ABR Method – for child developmental promotion.  Having this tool in your own hands as a parent,  brings an immense satisfaction that ABR parents learn to cherish.

Diane Vincentz