Assistive devices
Learn to Walk
Revolutionary walking aid that both assists and enhances functionality.
After many years of working with children, research, and innovation, Learn to Move has now become an assistive device provider. The first assistive device to be CE-marked and approved according to MDR (Medical Device Regulation) is the walking aid and balance trainer, Learn to Walk.
We are pleased and proud of this assistive device, the first of its kind, which improves the prognosis for children who have previously used walking aids and wheelchairs due to a lack of balance ability.
Common questions
What is new about Learn to Walk?
Traditional walking aids provide hand support or are so stable that the person cannot fall. Hand support and stability compensate for a lack of balance. The unique aspect of Learn to Walk is that it supports the child around the hips instead of holding onto handles. Additionally, Learn to Walk allows the child to move outside their support area to learn how to regain balance. This training, to deliberately lose balance and regain it, provides the child with an experience that promotes quicker reactions, leading to improved balance. Learn to Walk allows children to practice balance in various directions, step by step. You learn balance to the side before learning backward balance. The settings on Learn to Walk allow you to adjust the difficulty level of the balance challenge to precisely match the child’s current level. Until now, there has not been any method or tool that focuses on teaching individuals balance with the goal of independent walking.
What is new about Learn to Walk?
Traditional walking aids provide hand support or are so stable that the person cannot fall. Hand support and stability compensate for a lack of balance. The unique aspect of Learn to Walk is that it supports the child around the hips instead of holding onto handles. Additionally, Learn to Walk allows the child to move outside their support area to learn how to regain balance. This training, to deliberately lose balance and regain it, provides the child with an experience that promotes quicker reactions, leading to improved balance. Learn to Walk allows children to practice balance in various directions, step by step. You learn balance to the side before learning backward balance. The settings on Learn to Walk allow you to adjust the difficulty level of the balance challenge to precisely match the child’s current level. Until now, there has not been any method or tool that focuses on teaching individuals balance with the goal of independent walking.
Which individuals is Learn to Walk suitable for?
Learn to Walk is suitable for users with various functional variations.
For children with cerebral palsy, Learn to Walk is specifically designed for GMFCS group 3, meaning children with a level of severity that involves using a combination of walking aids and a wheelchair. These children have the strength to walk but lack balance ability.
Children with other types of functional variations, for example, Genetic syndromes and muscle disorders are also assisted by Learn to Walk. To have the opportunity to use Learn to Walk and learn independent walking, the following conditions are crucial for success.
Children with other types of functional variations, for example, Genetic syndromes and muscle disorders are also assisted by Learn to Walk. To have the opportunity to use Learn to Walk and learn independent walking, the following conditions are crucial for success.
The child’s motor ability
The child should be able to:
- move around by crawling or hopping on the floor
- have relatively good sitting ability, i.e., have forward balance and be able to reach objects to the side of the body but may not need full backward balance
- be able to stand up with support from assistive devices or furniture
- walk with a walker or other walking aid
The child’s motor ability
To succeed with training, it is important that those around the child in everyday life, whether in preschool, school, or at home, are:
- engaged
- willing to work on training in a structured way, preferably one hour per day.
Learn to Walk is an excellent first standing and walking aid for children who need support when they begin training. Standing allows the child to bear their body weight and provides an opportunity to learn balance.
How do you access Learn to Walk?
Contact your local assistive devices center to try Learn to Walk. As Learn to Walk is a new product, it may take some time before it is procured in the assistive devices center’s range. If your assistive devices center has a range of devices that do not meet the child’s needs, and the device is within a functional area that should be provided as an assistive device according to the Assistive Device Guide, the prescriber (often a physiotherapist) can, after consultation with the assistive device consultant, apply for an individual product outside the regular range. This way, you can gain access to Learn to Walk even before it is part of the regular assortment.
You can also contact us at Learn to Move if you want the opportunity to try Learn to Walk. You can then email to hello@learntomove.se
Can you combine training with Learn to Walk with other treatments?
The child can participate in other treatments aiming to achieve normal function that is relevant and beneficial for all children, with or without functional variations. Treatments that restrict mobility and load or weaken muscles should not be used during the time the child is training with Learn to Walk.
How do I get assistance with training using Learn to Walk?
You can receive support in various ways while training with Learn to Walk. A web-based support with instructional videos helps you get started. For both parents and physiotherapists, there is the opportunity for digital and on-site support. If you are interested in receiving support for using and training with Learn to Walk, you can contact us via.” hello@learntomove.se
How long does it take to learn to walk?
For children with significant balance challenges, it may take about a year of training before they learn to walk independently. For those with milder balance issues, progress may occur more quickly. There are no guarantees for learning to walk, but with Learn to Walk, you get an opportunity to try. We recommend one hour of focused training per day when using Learn to Walk.
The first two children who learned to walk with Learn to Walk.
During the development of Learn to Walk, children belonging to GMFCS group 3, who were previously told they wouldn’t learn to walk due to their age, became independent walkers at the ages of 9 and 5. Videos of them are available further down on the page. The final product, Learn to Walk, is smaller and simpler than the prototypes shown in the videos. Here are the results from the standardized tests conducted before and after the commencement of training.
Test results from before and after training demonstrate improvement for both children in the Timed Up and Go test, GMFM, and 2 and 1-minute walking tests. Preschool children undergo a 1-minute walking test, while school children have a 2-minute test. Self-assessment by the older child indicates significantly improved confidence in balance ability during walking.
Movies
Filip, 9 years old, can walk.
Despite research forecasts stating that Filip with athetosis cannot learn to walk, he has now achieved independent walking at the age of 9 with the help of the balance trainer. Click on the image above to watch the video.
Oskar, 5 years old, is learning to walk.
Here, you can witness when Oskar, 5 years old, learned to walk with the help of Learn to Walk. You will also discover new ways to define the concept of spasticity and understand what is meant by ‘being able to walk’ with balance.
The background of Learn to Walk.
In this video, we share more about the background and thoughts behind the balance trainer, how it works, and how it assists the user in enhancing motor learning. Click on the image below to watch the video.
Documents
Prerequisites for training with Learn to Walk.
Here is information for those interested in letting their child train with the balance trainer Learn to Walk.
For habilitation, parents, and interest organizations.
In this document, you can read more about the purpose and training structure when using the balance trainer Learn to Walk.
Health economic benefits with Learn to Walk.
The health economic benefits when a person learns to walk are significant. In the document ‘Considerations of economic value,’ this is described and discussed by Kathleen A. Foley, Adjunct Professor of Pharmaepidemiology and Economic Evaluation of Healthcare Interventions.