CHAPTER 5
A Tire Seat to Reduce Celia's Spasticity
 |
CELIA, who has cerebral palsy and
developmental delay, was brought to PROJIMO in a specially adapted
buggy, or stroller, prescribed by a rehabilitation specialist. But there
were problems with how she sat. Although a chest band held her more or
less upright, she frequently went into a spastic pattern. Her head and
shoulders pressed backward, her arms extended widely, and her legs
stiffened in an asymmetrical position.
The PROJIMO team and Celia's mother experimented with different
seating, trying to find a position that would reduce Celia's spasticity
and give her more control of her body, especially of her head, arms and
hands.
|
An innovation: The most effective seating arrangement
proved to be a tire swing. It can be made like this.
 |
The double curve of the tire gently bent the child's
head, shoulders, and hips forward. And it held her legs in a bent,
relaxed position. In the tire swing, Celia had much more head and hand
control and little sign of spasticity.
She was even able to reach forward and hold the tire rim.
|
 |
PROJIMO encouraged the family to make a tire swing in their home, and to
improvise other seating arrangements that would provide a similar function.
Problems: Shortcomings of the tire swing are:
(1) It is suspended in one location and cannot be easily moved. (2) The tire
works well for Celia, but for many children, a spastic pattern can be better
reduced by flexing the hips to a 90-degree angle, which the tire swing does
not do. (3) The tire holds the child in a semi-reclining position. But, for
maximum function, it often helps to sit more upright.
Usefulness for other disabled children: The
design for the tire swing can be found in the book Disabled Village
Children. This kind of tire swing has been used in many countries, both
in children's playgrounds and for rehabilitation of children with physical
and mental delay. However, its potential as a device for special seating,
especially for children with spastic cerebral palsy, still needs to be more
fully recognized and implemented. |
avemariasongs.org