The benefits of Rebound Therapy

BENEFITS

Benefits of Rebound Therapy

REBOUND THERAPY IS one of the most popular activities for children with special needs in UK SEN schools. It is also a very popular activity for people with disabilities of virtually all kinds and for all ages.

THE BENEFITS OF REBOUND THERAPY

Include the Developing and Improvement of:
  • STRENGTH OF LIMBS
  • NUMERACY
  • PATIENCE
  • COMMUNICATION
  • CO-ORDINATION
  • INDEPENDENCE
  • SELF-CONFIDENCE
  • BALANCE
  • MUSCLE TONE
  • REACTION SPEED
  • SELF IMAGE
  • EYE CONTACT
  • RELAXATION
  • FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT
  • SENSE OF ACHIEVEMENT
  • STAMINA
  • SPACIAL AWARENESS
  • BODY AWARENESS
  • SOCIAL AWARENESS
  • CONSIDERATION OF OTHERS
  • TRUST AND CONFIDENCE IN COACH & ASSISTANT
  • COLOUR RECOGNITION
  • HEIGHT & DEPTH PERCEPTION
  • FUN & ENJOYMENT

OTHER BENEFITS INCLUDE

STIMULATION OF DIGESTIVE SYSTEM,
IMPROVED BOWEL FUNCTION,
INTERNAL ORGAN MASSAGE,
CLEARING OF TOXINS FROM THE BODY.

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REPORTS

On Experiences with and Benefits of Rebound Therapy

THE REPORTS BELOW have been provided by trainers, parents, carers, teachers, assistants, physiotherapists and other healthcare professionals. They are useful for those considering Rebound Therapy as an intervention or activity and to students who regularly comment that there is insufficient written material to assist with research papers.

IF YOU WOULD like to provide a report of your experiences with Rebound Therapy, to be published on this page, please email it to info@reboundtherapy.org

YOU MAY WISH to include in your report such things as your child's condition, your objectives or hopes for the sessions, your observations, your view as to the outcome or effectiveness of the sessions. Also, please advise on other treatment that the child is receiving.

Katie’s First Rebound Therapy Session

Katie’s Condition
Katie was born three months premature and as a result has Cerebral Palsy. This condition affects all four limbs and her trunk control. Katie is a full time wheelchair user. She is cognitively age appropriate. (8 years old)

Our objectives or hopes for the session
With all new therapies we went to the session with a fairly open mind. We hoped that it would be a fun experience for Katie that would help relax at least some of her tight muscles. Katie was excited by the thought that she would be trampolining .

Our observation
Katie took to the trampoline immediately. With the support and encouragement she was given she felt very stable and confident. The session began with gentle bouncing that allowed her to relax from the outset. One exercise involved her bouncing while sitting on a 'peanut' therapy ball. This imitated horse riding which she found challenging but enjoyable. It was noticeable that as the exercise progressed her legs and feet relaxed down. This enabled her to push down on the trampoline with her legs and become more involved in the activity. The activity that surprised us the most was the stretch with a parachute. It was a simple exercise that clearly relaxed her whole trunk.

Was it worthwhile?
The session exceeded our expectations. The benefits were visible as her muscles gradually relaxed down as the session progressed. It was epitomised by her sitting with a straight back in a bean bag as she bounced on the trampoline. Katie has great difficulty in maintaining her balanced when seated but she showed great control unaided. We also noted that even her clenched hands opened and she showed splayed 'star' fingers. Although as with all therapy once is not enough rebound therapy was certainly worthwhile and if it was available we would be back for more. Katie said, "Do you know why I liked it? It was fun exercise." To Katie fun exercise is the best therapy .

Current Therapies and Treatments
Conductive education 2 to 3 sessions per week. Each session lasting for at least an hour. This is a form of physiotherapy. Swimming. At present Katie’s having two swimming lessons a week at the local swimming pool. She normally only has one. Horse riding. Katie goes horse riding at The Diamond centre. She attends every week for 12 weeks once a year. Sometimes this is increased if they have space. Hydro. If we are lucky Katie has one session of hydro for 6 weeks each year provided by the NHS. Katie receives no hands on NHS physio. Katie is also under the care of Great Ormond Street Hospital where she has Botox injections into selected muscles. This is carried out once or twice a year.

WE HAVE SEEN a remarkable change in a little girl who attends our school. She has CHARGE syndrome and spends a large proportion of her time in a wheelchair.

SHE IS 8 YRS old and when taken out of her wheelchair and stood by her rollator, she often refuses to walk and sits down on the floor. I suggested some Rebound Therapy with a parachute, moving her limbs by rolling up the parachute. The first time she saw the parachute she took interest and was spontaneously more lively.

SHE SEEMED TO really enjoy the attention and having her limbs stimulated in this manner. Our objectives are: enjoyment, more movement hopefully leading to more mobility. Evie was visibly excited and this in itself caused some slight spontaneous movement in her legs. The session was very well received and more than met my expectations.

I AM TEACHING 2 students who are learning to walk again following brain injuries.

STUDENT A's INJURY was due to meningitis and student B was involved in a road accident.

WITH STUDENT A, I have been teaching her back bounces. This is strengthening her core muscles and helping her to develop improved coordination. We have also been sitting her on the trampoline and I have been walking around her while she stays still. She said this is a great help to her due to not being able to walk, as this is a strengthening exercise that she can do.

STUDENT B HAS problems with walking. I first met him 8 weeks ago and he was in a wheelchair. Now with the aid of a stick, he is almost walking. B has problems with his balance and co ordination. So I have been teaching him to Jump. At first he was rocking the bed, then jumping with me supporting. Now he can jump with 2 feet in the air and stay in the middle. Seat drops are the next thing we are going to learn. He is really happy that he has started trampolining and feels this is helping to gain his balance and develop his poor muscle tone due to being in a wheel chair.

OUR SCHOOL, JOHN CHILTON have been running Rebound Therapy sessions for a year during PE lessons and lunch time clubs. We have found that the sessions have greatly improved pupils muscle tone and core stability. Particularly those pupils who walk with aids. One pupil enjoys it so much that her family have bought her a trampoline for their garden.

SOCIALLY THE PUPILS look forward to the sessions and are remembering cues from previous weeks.

WE HAVE ALSO run 3 festivals since starting our Rebound Therapy sessions with other local special schools which allowed our pupils to socialise and work closely with other pupils.

WE STARTED REBOUND Therapy a few years ago using Sports Grant money to fund the training and the trampoline. It had such positive results that we increased the amount of sessions from 1 to 3. We use Pupil premium funds for key pupils for one session, Sports Grant for another session and our own PSFA – school charity money to fund another.

THE PUPILS HAVE responded amazingly well. We've had pupils on the Autistic Spectrum use their communication consistently to request – the only situation that they do this for as they are so motivated. We've had challenging pupils who hardly ever respond to instructions, follow everything we ask and calm down sufficiently to be able to access a work session after when usually they struggle. We've had pupils self-esteem sky rocket as this is something they can do and are good at and get a certificate for. We’ve had pupils with sensory needs find the deep pressure calming and improved motor control for others.

THE MAIN IMPACT is that pupils who find any PE session difficult to access are able to be active on a trampoline and their enjoyment on the trampoline is a joy to behold.

PARENTS TAKE THEIR pupils to rebound sessions at a local centre – Jump Space and report back that the child copes at home with demands better and loves the sessions.

OUR MAIN ISSUE is lack of space to keep the trampoline up – it has to be cleared away for lunch time and cost of staffing to deliver sessions otherwise we'd do it for every pupil in the school every day!

REBOUND IS AN excellent resource we use at Brookfields. We have two trampolines a number of staff are trained to deliver sessions.

IN THESE SESSIONS there are a number of outcomes we achieve on a daily basis. Firstly pupils develop their physio and physical skills where we do physio stretches/movements with them on the trampoline to help with their overall movement. We also work on communication during these sessions the trampoline for most is a real motivator therefore we have had lots of excellent interactions and communication through sign/symbol and speech for more for example. The trampoline is also used at lunch times for lunch clubs where pupils are able to choose to go on the trampoline which is something they really do enjoy. Autistic pupils really benefit from Rebound through various different factors.

I FEEL REBOUND is such an important part of our PE sessions at Brookfields school and it is important to train as many staff as possible so that pupils can go on the trampoline with staff they trust and feel confident with. Rebound works on key skills that pupils need in other lessons and in their every-day life such as communication, resilience, risk taking, determination and relaxation. Rebound is a big part of PMLD/SLD pupils at our schools life as it aids the ability to move freely and enjoy feeling a range of movements that they may not have had the opportunity to feel on the ground.

ALL STAFF RECOGNISE the importance and value of Rebound Therapy at The South Downs Special School, which we have taught for the last 8 years.

ACHIEVEMENT AND PROGRESS have been apparent in physical development as well as benefiting pupils in areas of their personal and social development. It has been used to support independence, communication and interaction, social skills such as turn taking, peer assessment and evaluation and a supportive tool to those with therapy programmes.

CROSS CURRICULAR LINKS have been made using Rebound Therapy such as descriptive language in literacy, comparative language, ordinal numbers in maths and the effects of forces in Science, to name but a few. Colleagues and parents often report an improvement in a range of areas including core strength, coordination, eye contact, fluency of movement, muscle tone, height and depth perception, stamina and a general sense of achievement and self-confidence. Our aspiration now is to enable staff on our other site to train to deliver Rebound Therapy so all pupils have the opportunity of experiencing its benefits throughout the school.

MY EXPERIENCE OF Rebound Therapy for children, whether in special schools or mainstream, has only been positive - whether it is in helping them to maintain concentration and motivation to exercise, developing muscle control and stability in a reactive way, assisting with sensory integration or secretion clearance... I could go on. I would love to see it available to all that need it and special education is as good a place as any to start.

HI, JUST A few of my thoughts on the benefits on Rebound Therapy at Blackfriars Academy Newcastle under Lyme:

WE USE REBOUND Therapy as part of a PE carousel on a Thursday afternoon within our PMLD department. This consists of students aged from 11-16. They get a half termly/termly block placement which benefits them immensely in many areas. We have noticed considerable progress over short periods of time and often get a better response/level of engagement (particularly with our more complex students) on the trampoline than we get in the classroom. Not only does it promote their communication it obviously affords them a unique physical opportunity to come out of their wheelchairs and move their body in a way like no other. Our current difficulties rise around ....time..

WE WOULD LOVE an area in school with a sunken trampoline which could be used all day every day as currently only the PMLD students are accessing rebound and there are many other students across the school who would benefit too. (we put up a free standing trampoline in the sports hall).

REBOUNDNG: GOOD FOR THE LYMPH SYSTEM

By Dave Scrivens, Certified Lymphologist, Well Being Journal, Vol. 17, No. 3

The FeelGood PE programme: Designing an autism-friendly PE curriculum in a residential school setting

Article written by Clare Stockley on behalf of GAP - the Good Autism Practice Journal which is published by BILD - the British Institute of Learning Disabilities. Includes article and case study on Rebound Therapy.

SCARLETT

Rebound Therapy, and How is it Helping my Daughter Scarlett?

I HAD NOT heard of this therapy until it was introduced to myself and Scarlett through her new school The Seashell Trust. The therapy is part of Scarlett's curriculum and she is a very big fan. During a daily visit to the school we were greeted by Scarlett’s therapy teacher Ben, Scarlett immediately flung her arms around Ben and started to request 'ickle ickle queen' which is Scarlett talk for TRAMPOLINE!

THIS EXISTING LOVE combined with learning potential makes this a great way for Scarlett to develop. Here is what Ben had to say about Scarlett and her Rebound Therapy journey so far!

Scarlett
Scarlett

"SCARLETT REALLY ENJOYS her Rebound Therapy sessions smiling and laughing throughout the session with occasional looks of surprise followed by giggles when we introduce something unexpected and new.

AS WELL AS having fun the rebound sessions are a fantastic way for Scarlett to develop self-awareness, self-confidence and communication skills. Through engaging in challenging activities Scarlett is developing her ability to cope with and make sense of new experiences alongside the development of sensory processing strategies.

THE TRAMPOLINE IS an excellent medium to explore sensations and Scarlett's responses to vestibular and proprioceptive input. Scarlett has moved from needing lots of support and when encountering new experiences on the trampoline, to actively seeking new ways to have fun.

IT IS HOPED that Scarlett's new found confidence will support exploration in new and exciting challenges in her daily life and develop her own strategies to regulate her sensory needs."

 

 

From Vivien Lim in Malaysia

THANKS TO REBOUND THERAPY founder Mr Eddy and Trainer Mr.Paul. RT is such a wonderful therapeutic activities.... I have work intensively with a age 4 girl since Jan 2011 with no verbal, no eye contact, no communication skill. Today she has ...all this skills, she can talk with understanding, she is able to have eye contact and engage other child to play with her, amazingly is she is able to read and sing... my next work with her is to develop her writing skill......... in our country..parent expect their children to write and read at age 4.......

 

 

 

THEO

THEO HAS CEREBRAL PALSY and as such, has challenges with coordination, muscle tone and core strength.

Capital Play, who supply the In-ground trampoline that Theo uses at home for his Rebound Therapy sessions, provided us with the following report:

"Unlike many children with Cerebral Palsy, Theo can sit up on his own and although he would ordinarily use his wheelchair to travel around larger distances, he is able to move around on his knees in the garden and at home. Theo’s mother, Laura, explained that physiotherapy is offered by the NHS up until school age but then the funding for this tends to fade away. This is why she took the initiative to sign Theo up for a Rebound Therapy programme, which was tailored to his needs and requirements by Paul Kaye at ReboundTherapy.org

The In-ground Trampoline is completely flush to the ground which means Theo can access the trampoline all by himself. Mum Laura admits that, at the age of 7 Theo has started to get rather heavy for her to lift and so this is a benefit that not only Theo enjoys but Laura too!

It was very obvious to anyone watching that Theo clearly sees his Rebound Therapy sessions as great fun, which meant the sessions didn’t fall into the category of “boring physio exercises” and kept him completely engaged regardless of which exercise he was doing. His Rebound Therapy session consisted of a range of exercises and games all designed to help with coordination, building muscle tone, core strength, brain stimulation and reflex reaction development. All of these exercises have been designed to be performed on a trampoline, taking advantage of all the physical and sensory benefits a trampoline can offer.
Exercises such as this take great concentration from the participant but because they are so much fun and involve the wonderful sensation of bouncing, they are far more likely to commit themselves than if it was a standard physiotherapy session, this is particularly true for children."

Find out more about Capital In-ground Trampolines

 

Ty Swadling

A Tutor in Australia

Australia

REBOUND THERAPY PROGRAM - GEORGIA


BACKGROUND:

TY SWADLING IS is a Rebound Therapy Practitioner, PE teacher and International Trampoline Athlete. Both himself and his brother Shaun have been delivering Rebound programs throughout the Hunter region for over a year.

AT THE START of 2012, Ty was introduced to a student named Georgia, a very likable student who has Cerebral Palsy and blindness. When Ty first met Georgia she was very unstable, heavily reliant on her cane and very low confidence when it came to negotiating various terrains. During their first Rebound Therapy session with Georgia, Shaun introduced her to the trampoline and her new environment. Georgia was reluctant to follow instructions and was more concerned with physically touching the coaches than actually jumping on the trampoline, Shaun found it reasonably difficult to engage Georgia in some activities. However Georgia enjoyed herself and came back wanting more.


ACTIONS:

THE NEXT SESSION Ty and Shaun worked together and established some exercises, activities and strategies for dealing with, and engaging, Georgia. From there on Shaun has been solely responsible for Georgia' s progress, she is now flying through various movements from the Rebound Therapy Australia Development Scheme and everybody including her aides, teachers and other staff are noticing remarkable improvements.

THE REAL MOMENT of success for Georgia came in August 2012 when she competed in the Hunter Regional trampoline trials in the special event. Georgia did not compete levels routines however she did climb onto the trampoline relatively unassisted, find the centre of the trampoline and waited for instruction from the judges. Georgia then bounced unassisted, completing quarter turns and movements that can be classified as jumps. Georgia bounced for around 15secs, only unbalancing once where she negotiated a successful and safe fall to the flyaway pads, returned to her feet in the centre of the trampoline and checked her "routine" remaining in stillness on the trampoline with the biggest, most heartfelt smile ever seen and a very acknowledging cheer from her school peers in the audience.

REBOUND THERAPY AUSTRALIA would like to credit Shaun Swadling and Tyson Austine for the work they have been doing with Georgia and Ty Swadling for his ongoing support of the Rebound Therapy Program. Rebound Therapy Australia would also like to recognise Brett Austine for his ongoing support of students with a disability and their involvement in trampoline competitions, Brett pioneered the event and continually supports many students like Georgia, each with their own success stories.

NSW
AU