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This set of tutorials covers the development of standing with hand support, and the assessment and training of standing and cruising I suggest you start by reading the post on how watching hours of video footage of 3 infants figuring out how to balance in standing dramatically increased my understanding of this task. |
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Overview of learning to stand with support |
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Insights from hours of watching videos of infants learning to stand with support |
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Activities for training standing with support
A 14 page booklet with instructions for training infant standing with support
Video clips of activities for training standing
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Training standing with support At 12 months Roan is able to stand with hand support, but her balance is poor as she fails to make the adjustments needed to maintain balance when turning her head and reaching sideways for toys.
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Analysis of standing: Roan 16 months At 16 months Roan stands with hand support and reaches in different directions and is starting to step sideways. Careful observation highlights aspects of her control that need to be refined.
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| Training standing |
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Kneeling at a step as a first step Kneeling at a step provides an infant with the first experience of weightbearing on the LEs and supporting on the hands with the trunk in a relatively upright position.
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Getting an infant to take weight on the feet One way to get an infant to start taking weight on the feet is to practice sitting on a step and reaching forwards.
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Standing with waist high support Standing with waist high support allows the infant to lean forwards and take some weight on the chest as well as the forearms and hand. In this position the infant has enough support to allow them to explore bending and extending the knees and shifting weight laterally and in an A-P direction.
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Standing with lateral support In order to provide Roan with a safe environment for practicing standing and reaching, I have positioned high density foam blocks on either side and behind her.
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Standing with hip high support Standing at a hip high support surface allows the infant to practice standing with the weight on the feet and the hands.
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Standing and pushing against posterior support
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Standing up from a low step Standing up from a low step strengthens the LE's, improves balance, and gives an infant a sense of accomplishment.
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Standing with caregiver support
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| Standing with surround support
Infants who are late learning to stand with support often are slow to take responsibility for their own balance. Letting an infant stand in a triangle or square of boxes provides them with a safe environment that allows them to independently explore various options for maintaining their balance.
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Encouraging stepping Once the infant is able to stand with support, the next task is to learn to take a step sideways, as a precursor to learning to cruise.
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Letting go and learning to balance Once an infant has gained some confidence standing with hand support, they start to explore standing upright, with the CoM balanced over the feet and using an ankle strategy to maintain balance.
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Learning to bend the knees Infants also need to learn to bend the knees and reach down to retrieve a toy from the floor.
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Improving balance and strengthening the trunk and legs Activities to improve standing stability, balance and strengthen the trunk and extremities.
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