A device called the self-initiated prone progression crawler (SIPPC) may help children with CP to live better lives. This device is used on infants and acts as an assistive device, allowing them to crawl and creep. Researchers from Oklahoma University hope that it has other benefits, as well.
Cerebral palsy is caused by brain damage that affects the areas of the brain responsible for muscle control. Among the benefits of the SIPPC device, researchers hope, is minimizing the other damage that the infant suffers to their brain because of that damage. When the parts of the brain that control mobility aren’t used, they tend to lag behind in development. The SIPPC device allows the infant to crawl where they want to go, to follow family members around the house and to explore, which are all integral to the development of a healthy brain in an infant.
Ideally, this development would allow the infant to grow into a more autonomous adult with a more independent lifestyle. Many people with cerebral palsy are isolated because of their mobility issues. Some of them cannot get around except for by using a wheelchair, and that can mean that their formative years are very isolating. Infants quite often cannot get around at all but, by using SIPPC, scientists hope that the parts of their brain responsible for other movement-related tasks are better developed and that they benefit in other ways, as well.
The device is also used on infants who aren’t disabled. It helps scientists to understand the development of mobility and how infants progress. There is work being done to make this product available on the commercial market. If it becomes generally available to parents, it could provide a great way to give infants a way to explore their world, even if they suffer with a condition like cerebral palsy.
Cerebral palsy in infants is sometimes caused by a birth injury. In some cases, the parents have the option of preparing a cerebral palsy lawsuit and suing the healthcare provider for damages. These damages can provide enough money to provide for the child in the future and ensure that they never have to go without any new technology that’s developed to help people with CP and other mobility impairing disorders to live a more independent and fulfilling life.