About a month ago Jonathan got his new gait trainer to help her learn to walk and bare (or is it bear?) weight on this legs. The trainer looks way more involved than it really is. He has a chest brace that wraps around him to give him trunk support. On his left is an arm brace/prompt where we can use the Velcro straps to stabilize his arm allowing him to support his upper body a bit more. On the right is a basic arm prompt, so he can just hold on with his right hand. We also have a small tray that we can put on the front so he can play too. He has leg prompts around his ankles, which are attached to the frame of the gait trainer. This keeps his legs from 'scissoring' (crossing in front of each other) when he steps. The straps slide back and forth with each step allowing him to 'walk' but in better form. All 4 wheels can swivel, but in these videos, they are locked so that they will stay straight and not roll into the grass. We also have the ability to keep it from going backwards. This allows him to focus on stepping forward and not just pushing backwards.
Our goals with the gait trainer...
1. keep him in it as much as possible during the day.
2. use it to go out in public (stores, etc).
3. use it to eventually transition into a walker (Because...YES... he is going to walk!!! :)
We have a ways to go, but he is already making progress. He has been 'walking' to MDO each day, then 'walks' to the playground too :)
3 comments:
Oh, Brigette! How wonderful! And I LOVE that talking he's doing... trying to figure out why he's not going to YOU! (and hearing the other voices on the second video)! You are right... he WILL walk independently... especially with encouraging and involved parents like you! Keep up the good work, Jonathan!! See you tomorrow!
That is too cool Brig! He seems like he really likes the walker! We are certainly rooting him on!
Wow, that's fantastic! He must be so proud of himself...what a big sense of independence it must give him.
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