Method for treatment of children with developmental delay

Abstract

The invention disclosed herein is a method and device for treatment of children suffering from conditions or diseases which cause delayed neuromuscular development. A neck flotation device such as an inflatable collar is affixed around the child's neck. The child wearing the aforementioned neck flotation device is immersed into the pool of water in which the water has been heated to approximately 92-94 degrees Fahrenheit. The child's head is supported by the neck flotation device to ensure safe breathing. The child's torso and extremities are suspended vertically in the therapy tank filled with warm water. The child can move in the pool of warm water without being restrained by gravity. By the method disclosed herein, children suffering from diseases and conditions which cause delayed neuromuscular development are permitted to exercise their muscles to develop muscle tone, increase lung function and promote neuromuscular coordination.

1 . A method for the treatment of children suffering from conditions or diseases which cause delayed neuromuscular development comprising steps for:
 assembling a collapsible therapy tank;   filling said tank with warm water;   attaching a neck flotation device around the child's neck;   immersing the child in said tank filled with warm water so that the child is suspended vertically in said tank of water with said child's head above the surface of the water;   allowing the child unrestrained movement in said tank of water;   whereby said child's muscle strength, coordination, range of motion and lung function are improved.   
     
     
         2 . The method for the treatment of children suffering from conditions or diseases which cause delayed neuromuscular development as defined in  claim 1  wherein said water is heated to a temperature of approximately 92-94 degrees Fahrenheit. 
     
     
         3 . The method for the treatment of children suffering from conditions or disease which cause delayed neuromuscular development as defined in  claim 1  wherein said water is unchlorinated. 
     
     
         4 . The method for the treatment of children suffering from conditions or diseases which cause delayed neuromuscular development as defined in  claim 1  wherein said condition or disease which cause delayed neuromuscular development is selected from a group consisting of: Spinal muscular atrophy, cerebral palsy, infantile spasms, trisomies , traumatic brain injury, acute brain injury, infection, skeletal muscular imbalance, hemilegia, neonatal stroke, Down's syndrome, holoprosencephaly, seizure disorder, visual disorders, hearing impairment, failure to thrive, intrauterine growth retardation, prematurity, global delay syndrome, hypoxia, anoxia, shoulder dystocia, mitochondrial disease, Walker Warburg syndrome, lennox-gastaut syndrome, pachygria, hypotonia, skull fracture, chromosomal disorders, hydroencephaly, torticollis, Aicardi's syndrome, scoliosis, pediatric osteoporosis, frozen hip syndrome, hip dysplasia, Cri Du Chat, Wolf Hirschorn syndrome, muscular dystrophy, septo-opyic dysplasia, Zellwegers syndrome, Canavan, static encephalopathy, Prader-Willi syndrome, optic nerve hypoplasia, schizencephaly, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, biotin responsive basal ganglia disease, Lesch Nyhan, hemiparesis, congenital disorders of glycosylation, epilepsy, macrocephaly, Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, clubbed feet, arthrogryposis, megalencephaly, Potocki-Shaffer syndrome, brain tumor, development coordination disorder, Charge syndrome, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. 
     
     
         5 . An inflatable neck flotation device to be worn around a child's neck to raise the child's head above the surface of a tank of water for water therapy of children suffering from conditions and diseases which cause delayed neuromuscular development comprising:
 a top circular inflatable bladder and a bottom inflatable circular bladder to form a neck flotation device which is not a completely enclosed circle;   said neck flotation device having a top surface and a bottom surface;   said top inflatable circular bladder is approximately 15% smaller in volume than said bottom inflatable circular bladder causing said bottom inflatable circular bladder to be commensurately larger in size than said top inflatable circular bladder;   an inflatable shelf of approximately 1.5 inches in width extending around the interior circumference of said neck flotation device and located approximately midway between the said top surface and bottom surface of said neck flotation device;   a horizontal indentation in said shelf equidistant between and opposite of said opening in said neck flotation device flotation device bladder to accommodate a child's chin;   two handles affixed to the top surface of said neck flotation device in which each handle is positioned to be on opposite sides of the neck flotation device and to be out of visual field of the child;   an inflation/deflation port on the top of said top circular inflatable bladder;   an inflation/deflation port on the bottom of said bottom inflatable circular bladder;   an adjustable fastener on the top surface of said neck flotation device to close said opening in said neck flotation device;   an adjustable fastener on the bottom surface of said neck flotation device to close the opening of said neck flotation device;   a circular opening created by closing the space in said neck flotation device;   Whereby said top inflatable circular bladder and bottom inflatable circular bladder part forms a neck flotation device which supports the child's head above the surface of the water and permits the child to be suspended vertically in said tank of water for the improvement of neuromuscular coordination, muscle tone, lung function and range of motion.   
     
     
         6 . The neck flotation device described in  claim 4  wherein said inflatable collar is constructed from clear flexible plastic. 
     
     
         7 . The neck flotation device for the treatment of children suffering from conditions or diseases which cause delayed neuromuscular development as defined in  claim 4  wherein said condition or disease which cause delayed neuromuscular development is selected from a group consisting of: Spinal muscular atrophy, cerebral palsy, infantile spasms, dystonia, lissencephaly, Miller Deiker Syndrome, microencephaly, hydraencephaly, trisomies , traumatic brain injury, acute brain injury, infection, skeletal muscular imbalance, hemilegia, neonatal stroke, Down's syndrome, holoprosencephaly, seizure disorder, visual disorders, hearing impairment, failure to thrive, intrauterine growth retardation, prematurity, global delay syndrome, hypoxia, anoxia, shoulder dystocia, mitochondrial disease, Walker Warburg syndrome, lennox-gastaut syndrome, pachygria, hypotonia, skull fracture, chromosomal disorders, hydroencephaly, torticollis, Aicardi's syndrome, scoliosis, pediatric osteoporosis, frozen hip syndrome, hip dysplasia, Cri Du Chat, Wolf Hirschorn syndrome, muscular dystrophy, septo-opyic dysplasia, Zellwegers syndrome, Canavan, static encephalopathy, Prader-Willi syndrome, optic nerve hypoplasia, schizencephaly, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, biotin responsive basal ganglia disease, Lesch Nyhan, hemiparesis, congenital disorders of glycosylation, epilepsy, macrocephaly, Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, clubbed feet, arthrogryposis, megalencephaly, Potocki-Shaffer syndrome, brain tumor, development coordination disorder, Charge syndrome, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis.