United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

I JUST RECEIVED A LETTER TODAY FROM AARON'S OT AND SHE WANTS TO DO MILD RESTRAINING THERAPY. AARON CAN BRING HIS HAND TO HIS MOUTH BUT HAS A HARD TIME MOVING IT WHEN IN UPRIGHT POSITION CAN ONLY MOVE IT A FEW INCHES FROM HIS BODY. HE CANNOT STRAIGHTEN OUT HIS ARM TO GRAB AT THINGS AND ARM IS MOSTLY IN PRONATION BUT HE SEEMS LIKE A VERY DETERMINED LITTLE BOY. BUT I DON'T WANT TO "SCAR" THE CHILD. I THINK I NEED MORE TIME TO THINK OF THIS. HE'S 5 MONTHS.
-----PAULA

Paula - why not try a gentle restraint - like just putting a toy in the other arm to keep it busy.
-francine

"Instruct parents to always include bilateral upper extremity (BUE) in play, to use uninvolved arm as a guide to allow involved arm to experience everything that the other arm is doing, to always offer toys, food, or any other objects to involved arm first, to allow child to reach and grasp objects in a place where he/she can succeed to obtain these objects and then slowly increase the range to avoid frustration which leads to increase levels of motivation to use that arm."


You may want to print off this sheet and give it to your therapist...it's also in the Outreach Awareness Issue...

http://ubpn.org/awareness - go to the birth injuries section

-francine