[Fwd: Re: Ride therapy - Archive Info]

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Here's an old message from 2005 by regarding " Ride Therapy " where

she also quotes some even older info from 2003 on the subject...hope

this helps until the archives are back up and available.

On 30 Jan 2005, kiddietalk wrote:

I don't recall anyone linking Dr. Bradstreet to my G-force " ride

therapy " theory, and if you search the archives I've been posting

about it since 2002 (since I've moved to Florida when I first

noticed it) And of course thought of G force and vestibular -didn't

think of your theory of chemical reaction which you posted here in

September 2004 -and I found very interesting.

/message/34406

/message/34487

/message/34433

Prior to speaking with you however -I did speak with a number of

professionals about my G force/vestibular theory as to his surge in

speech -the main thought was agreement that it was probably due to

stimulation to the vestibular system, but one professional even

suggested possible electromagnetic reactions. The chemical theory

may tie in too. All I know is that it works. I wasn't planning on

taking Tanner to see Dr. Bradstreet to discuss this -I was planning

on going to NASA to discuss this -but looks like he may be a perfect

person to work with given his background.

Here is the first I mentioned it:

From: " kiddietalk " <kiddietalk@...>

Date: Tue Nov 19, 2002 10:49 am

Subject: Re: Therapy Options

" I'm trying my own version of " laugh therapy " Being that Tanner

spent so many years with hardly any facial expression or smiles -I

just believe that laughter is very important for him...and good for

all of us. As I've posted we spend some of our free time now at

Disney going on rides and seeing shows. Tanner still doesn't smile

and laugh as much as other kids -but he appears to enjoy when I try

to get him too (he gives big hugs instead of smiles most times when

he is happy) I found that multisensory activities are great for more

than just getting Tanner to smile and laugh more. "

And then after that -I bring it up all the time -like this one:

From: " kiddietalk " <kiddietalk@...>

Date: Thu Jun 19, 2003 7:26 pm

Subject: Re:Ride therapy

Hi Lori and Lora and all!

About the ride therapy -the other day we spent the day at

Blizzard Beach and then the Magic Kingdom at Disney. Tanner then

had ST yesterday and today and his therapist commented on how great

he's talking. Like Lora said -I've noticed that motion has helped

Tanner since he was younger. Actually in looking at old videos of

Tanner as a one or two year old before we knew he wasn't " just " a

late talker -the only time Tanner ever really had any facial

expressions -or even attempted nonverbal communication -was if in

the video he was sitting on someone's lap that was bouncing him on

their knee -some type of movement. Even in The Late Talker book we

talk about motion and therapy for apraxia.

I didn't really put the connection of the rides however together

with speech until we moved to Florida. Tanner wasn't old enough for

the type of rides that I believe are having the best impact. I

don't know for sure which ride has the best impact to be honest

since when we go to the parks we go on so many rides -however I

suspect it's the high tech newer rides that are multisensory high

speed (G Force) roller coasters, or those with sudden drops -

including those in the dark.

Lora -as you have found in your grandson -Tanner has always loved

dance -motion -and rides. Now that he is seven -he now seems to

crave the scarier rides - the in the dark suspense " what happens

next? " ones like Space Mountain, Rock n Roller Coaster, or Tower of

Terror where perhaps senses outside of vision kick in stronger. The

motion in these rides is side to side -sudden drops -flips all the

way around and sideways -not spinning. There are more and more now

in the dark. Perhaps part of the help is the visual aspect (or lack

of visual aspect) on the vestibular system together with the motion?

" Vision is an important component of the vestibular system. About

twenty percent of visual neurons respond to vestibular stimulation

(e.g. when spinning, head shaking, or rocking) "

http://www.braintraining.com/vestibular.htm

Other than the swings -Tanner doesn't like the rides that spin you

around, nor does my husband -I get to go on those with my other son

Dakota. So unfortunately for most here -the type of rides I'm

finding to be

most

helpful for Tanner are not the ones that you can try with little

kids -or even

some children who are sensory resistant to the scarier high speed

rides -again -Tanner loves them.

Tanner doesn't scream much on the rides -just once in awhile. When he

first started screaming on the ride -because I told him to scream -

it sounded like he was at a doctor's office and the doctor just

said " say ah " that flat. Sometimes even still I have to

say " scream Tanner " or he is just quiet -but now when he screams it

sounds like a real scream.

Lori -what speech differences? -more fluent and way more talkative -

non stop talking -longer utterances. His eyes are wider. If you

look at pictures of Tanner before the fevers at 11 months he had

wide open eyes -and then after the fevers his eyes developed a bit

of a droop on the sides. In all the pictures of Tanner after the

fevers he always had a sad look -and a droop to his eyes that was

not there before the fevers. Since doing this ride therapy with

these high speed rides -he looks more alert -his eyes wider. And he

is more alert -almost hyper. It lasts strong for at least a few

days. I know some parents complain about hyper activity -but since

Tanner tends toward the sluggish side with his hypotonia and all -I

believe it's a healing thing. To me it's a sign of a good thing -

like something is clicking.

Here is some information about G-Force and rides

" Gravitational forces exerted on your body as a result of movement

on a roller coaster. The most commonly found examples of different

forces are the lateral g-force (where riders are shifted from side

to side), the positive g-force (where riders' rear ends are pressed

firmly into the seats and gravity makes you feel twice or more your

own weight), and the negative g-force (where riders are lifted out

of their seats and experience 'airtime'). The standard g-force is

positive 1 g, which is when you are standing or sitting still. "

http://www.onridecentral.com/lingo.asp?filter=G

I know I already posted some links on the vestibular system -here

are a few more:

Babies in motion

The vestibular system is located in the inner ear, which senses

movement of the head and allows control of balance, posture and

reflexes. The bouncing, rocking and sometimes even head-banging

young children engage in is connected to activity of the vestibular

system.

The critical period for maturation of the vestibular system is from

6-12 months.

" Because the vestibular system is so overcharged at this age,

children really like to activate it with the most potent form of

stimulation, " Eliot said. " All of the motion babies experience --

whether it's in the womb or being carried around -- the reason it is

so comforting to children is because the vestibular system is so

advanced early on, way before hearing and vision. "

Pediatricians commonly test the integrity of the vestibular system

and brain stem by turning an infant's head and watching to see if

the baby can keep its eyes focused forward "

http://www.facsnet.org/tools/sci_tech/biotek/eliot.php

" The knowledge gained from this research should prove useful in

developing treatments for hearing and balance disorders based on

hair cell and eighth nerve dysfunction, particularly those caused by

trauma, or those with a genetic basis "

http://biology-web.nmsu.edu/serrano/neurolab/research/research.html

" The results show that gravity receptors are responsive to transient

cranial stimuli as early as E19 in the chicken embryo. The

functional response of gravity receptors continues to develop for

many days after all major morphological structures are in place.

Distinct maturational processes can be identified in central and

peripheral neural relays. Functional improvements during maturation

may result from refinements in the receptor epithelia, improvements

in central and peripheral synaptic transmission, increased neural

myelination, as well as changes in the mechanical coupling between

the cranium and receptor organ. "

http://link.springer-ny.com/link/service/journals/10162/contents/00/10026/s10162\

\0010026ch002.html

As far as high speed ride therapy -there are those who are still

learning that G force rides will not cause brain damage...so may be

a few years until they figure out that they not only don't hurt -

they may help.

http://yourhealth.stlukesonline.org/HealthNews/reuters/NewsStory101620027.htm

http://www.neurosurgery.org/health/news/detail.asp?PressID=187

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