Ivy is a 2-year-old who lives in Hampshire, United Kingdom, with her parents and her older sister Riley. She has a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy and is affected by fatigue, low muscle tone and weakness in all her limbs. Ivy’s mum Leah discusses a small example of the challenges they have faced as a family so far:
“As Ivy is unable to sit or stand unaided it meant we were limited to what activities we could do together as a family. Ivy would get tired and frustrated quickly and was nearly completely unable to play independently or eat comfortably, which had a negative effect on all of us seeing her so unhappy and held back”.
But disability doesn’t define Ivy. She is a determined and happy little girl who shows the world more and more what she CAN do each and every day. She loves nursery rhymes and reading books. She loves to play and have fun – playing with her toys, messy play with her sister, laughing with her friends. With the loving support of her family and the professionals around her, and a little bit a facilitation from assistive technology, Ivy is now showing everyone that she CAN stand and sit safely to play and take part in family activities. Meet two of Ivy’s new little helpers, the Jenx Bee seating system and the Jenx Monkey standing frame!
Ivy is at an age when her neurodevelopment should be at it’s most prolific, and it is shaped by experience and exploration of the world around her. A recent international clinical practice guideline concerning children with Cerebral Palsy between the ages of 0-2 has stressed the importance of early intervention approaches to maximise development, recommending clinicians work with the family to provide support to enable the child to self-discover their environment and provide solutions to overcome movement challenges [1]. Advice is given to consider including in the child’s daily routine a selection of challenging but achievable motor tasks that require persistence and repeated practice for success, skill acquisition and refinement, as well as daily access to a standing frame to help maintain hip stability for children who are non-weightbearing at typical developmental age.
“Infants and children have remarkable brain plasticity and aptitude for learning; taking advantage of this window of opportunity with evidence-based intervention for those with early brain injury maximizes functional outcomes and minimizes complications” [1].
Ivy’s family and therapy teams are supporting her exactly as per these recommendations, with the Bee and Monkey providing helping hands to maximize her development. Using the Bee and Monkey, Ivy can now sit and stand safely, reducing her energy expenditure when holding her body up against gravity and in turn reducing her fatigue. The ability to safely and regularly change from sitting standing enables regular changes in posture and weightbearing, and can break up periods of sedentary behavior. The supports incorporated into to both pieces of equipment can help provide stability for her to focus on developing her head and upper limb control, and they are easily adjustable to allow for challenging of postural control further or to accommodate growth. Ivy can now interact with her family and friends more often and more independently, and she is able to more repeatedly practice the ‘challenging motor tasks’ as part of being a developing 2 year old.
Here are some other features of the Bee and Monkey that are essential to Ivy’s daily routine:
- The high-low base on the Bee can facilitate floor play or activities at table height, such as painting or eating with family.
- The trays on both the Monkey and the Bee can support Ivy’s favourite toys for playtime or can provide a sturdy base for cooking up scrummy recipes with mum! They are also great for attaching communication aids so Ivy can develop her communication alongside her physical skills.
- The Monkey is perfect for eye-level interaction in standing with Ivy’s friends and sister. The addition of a bowl encourages upper limb work in midline and makes messy sensory play so much more fun!
Ivy’s Mum has noticed considerable changes to her physical development, mood and the family routine with the addition of assistive technology into the home environment:
“Ivy’s core has gained strength and she is showing no curvature in her spine when sitting”
“Her mood has also vastly improved. She is so much happier independently playing and whilst eating, with much more enjoyment during the varied activities she can now join in. Her hand usage has increased massively as she doesn’t have to focus on holding herself up. She is able to use her hands more freely and engage in activities physically.”
“As a family, getting to enjoy mealtime, and playtime together is life changing. Our day-to-day family life has changed so dramatically by way of enjoyment and togetherness”
Thank you for sharing your incredible story and inspiring us all here at Jenx Ivy!
Click here to download Ivy’s Case Study
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