P. C. Ferry
Jan 1, 1981
Citations
0
Influential Citations
73
Citations
Quality indicators
Journal
Pediatrics
Abstract
In recent years, there has been an exponential proliferation of developmental stimulation programs for environmentally deprived and neurologically handicapped children.1 Premature infants in neonatal intensive care units are being cuddled, patted, stroked with vibrators, and rocked in water beds and motorized hammocks. They are exposed to flashing lights, dangling birds and toys, and piped-in heartbeat sounds and music ("This Old Man"). Infants and preschoolers with neurologic disorders roll on beach balls in special "infant classrooms," on "therapeutic playgrounds," and in "creative play centers." We have home-based, parent-oriented programs; home-based child-oriented programs; center-based, child-oriented programs; and, logically, center-based, parent/child-oriented ones. Older children with learning disabilities practice walking on balance beams to improve their gross motor skills and learning abilities. The age of children at entry, the nature of their handicaps, the type and duration of intervention, the materials used, and the qualifications of teachers and therapists all vary in a flood of new programs. "Infant stim" and developmental therapy programs now represent a major industry in our country, employing thousands of personnel (infant therapists, child development specialists, movement therapists, physical and occupational therapists, early child educators, parent trainers, home teachers, and aides). Without intending to promise normal brain development, personnel in many of these programs convey to parents the message that stimulation and intervention will, in effect, grow new brain cells. Sensory integration therapy, for example, reportedly "enhances the organization of brain mechanisms and neural integration."2 Vestibular impairment is treated by providing "a bombardment of stimulation through the many different vestibular receptors activating synapses and increasing the number of impulses converging on neurons."