In the latest installment of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, hosts Ginny Yurich joins forces with Emily Heisey and Matt Otterman from Kinactive Kids to explore innovative strategies for nurturing children’s development. The episode delves into the synergy of chiropractic care and physical therapy in pediatric care, highlighting the benefits of this combined approach for children's motor skills and muscle development. Heisey and Otterman, proponents of a collaborative healthcare paradigm, have established Connective University, aiming to bridge the gap between disciplines and foster more comprehensive treatment methods for young patients.
The conversation also addresses crucial topics like developmental milestones and how to identify and react to potential delays in children's growth. Presenting the Connective Community platform, the speakers shed light on how purposeful play can be a key tool for parents to promote their children's gross motor skills and overall brain development. They advocate for simple, biomechanically accurate activities, suggesting that these can significantly outperform complex equipment in supporting children's progress. This episode provides a wealth of actionable advice for proactive parenting, equipping caregivers with the knowledge to integrate clinical concepts into fun, everyday play and prepare their children for future developmental achievements.
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Emily Heisey and Matt Otterman advocate for a holistic approach to pediatric care that combines chiropractic care with physical therapy, resulting in faster developmental improvements in children. They have observed that linking joint adjustments from chiropractic care with the muscle-building of physical therapy leads to increased movement and muscle engagement. This integrated method not only lengthens muscles but also promotes more functional movement, offering a broader and more effective treatment. To eliminate the historical divide between physical therapists and chiropractors, Heisey and Otterman have founded Connective University, promoting collaboration among various health care professionals to enhance pediatric care.
Emily Heisey introduces the Connective Community platform, complemented by insights from Matt Otterman and Ginny Yurich on child development and addressing developmental delays. Emphasizing the importance of recognizing potential delays early, they provide red flags, such as a lack of movement attempts or distress when rolling, and outline typical age ranges for milestones. Heisey and Otterman believe that attempts at movement indicate progress, even if a child hasn't fully reached a milestone. For reenforcing development, they encourage simple and biomechanically sound activities over gimmicky equipment, as evidenced by swift improvements seen in children following these methods.
The Connective Community platform empowers parents with simple yet purposeful play activities to encourage their children's development. Emily Heisey, Matt Otterman, and Ginny Yurich stress the value of incorporating play into daily routines to support gross motor and brain development. They offer suggestions like messy play to enhance various developmental facets, demonstrating how clinical interventions can be turned into fun, at-home activities. The focus is also on being proactive with upcoming milestones, preparing children's bodies and environments through natural play and intentional activities. Heisey and Otterman propose that parents using these strategies can effectively prepare their children for new developmental stages, bridging the gap between clinical settings and home.
1-Page Summary
Heisey and Otterman are advocating for a new, holistic approach to pediatric care that involves the integration of chiropractic care and physical therapy, which they have observed can lead to faster improvements in children.
Emily Heisey, a pediatric physical therapist, has observed how combining physical therapy with chiropractic care results in more significant advancements in children's development. Heisey noticed considerable improvements in her own daughter's development within just six weeks when she applied 20 minutes of targeted exercises daily together with thrice-weekly chiropractic care.
Heisey and Otterman propose that when chiropractic care, which often involves joint adjustments, is paired with physical therapy, there can be an increase in movement and muscle engagement in children. These joint adjustments have the potential to enable children to move more freely and engage their muscles better.
By combining the strength-building and rehabilitative modalities of physical therapy with the skeletal alignment provided by chiropractic care, children can benefit from lengthened muscles and engage in more functional movement patterns. This integrative approach facilitates a more thorough and ef ...
Advocating for a Holistic Approach to Pediatric Care
Emily Heisey introduces an online platform, Connective Community, while Otterman and Ginny Yurich contribute insights on child development and navigating concerns regarding developmental delays.
Early recognition of developmental delays is crucial, and the hosts outline some key indicators and typical age ranges for children to achieve common milestones.
Emily Heisey mentions that if a child is not attempting to move or showing distress without attempting to roll from their belly, this could be a red flag for a delay. Otterman speaks on the necessity of help when children are missing certain gross motor milestones.
Heisey shares a range for gross motor skills development; sitting upright unsupported typically happens between six to eight months, while crawling generally occurs from eight to twelve months. Ginny refers to these milestones as typically happening within the first year or by 15 to 18 months.
Matt Otterman discusses the importance of children attempting skills as a sign of progress. Emily Heisey stresses parents should look for attempts, like trying to move on their belly, as a sign of progress.
The hosts discuss methods and activities that can promote child development, giving parents tools to see fast improvements.
Emily Heisey has ...
Milestones and Developmental Delays
The Connective Community platform encourages parents to adopt purposeful play by providing short video clips that guide them on how to achieve developmental milestones through playful activities.
Heisey highlights the importance of empowering parents with the knowledge and activities they can use at home to stimulate their children's development playfully. Otterman appreciates Heisey's concept of purposeful play, which combines children's playtime with supporting their gross motor and brain development, thus building a connection with them. Ginny Yurich refers to pediatric occupational therapy resources that embody the integration of play into development.
Heisey suggests messy play, like using shaving cream on a cookie sheet, as an enjoyable activity that simultaneously strengthens a child's core and enhances their social, cognitive, and physical development. Such activities translate clinical interventions into functional home activities, bridging the gap between the clinic and the home environment.
The platform also emphasizes being proactive about children's upcoming milestones by preparing their body and environment. Heisey highlights that children are inherently creative and can engage in play that contributes to their development, turning simple objects into playthings.
Otterman, a chiropractor, discusses the importance of removing physical restrictions like torticollis, enabling children to engage more fully in play. Meanwhile, Yurich recalls an open gymnastics session that promoted free play and development. This proactive approach extends to translating professional tools and techniques into activities th ...
Purposeful Play and Proactive Participation
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