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American Physical Therapy Association Recommendations In Line with
National Survey Findings

    ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American
Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is urging parents and caregivers to
ensure that babies get enough "tummy time" throughout the day while they
are awake and supervised, in light of a recent survey of therapists who say
they've noticed an increase in motor delays in infants who spend too much
time on their backs while awake.

    In the national survey of 400 pediatric physical and occupational
therapists, conducted on behalf of Pathways Awareness, a non-profit group
dedicated to early detection of motor delays in children, two-thirds of
those surveyed say they've seen an increase in early motor delays in
infants over the past six years. The survey was conducted with the
assistance of APTA's Section on Pediatrics and the Neuro-Development
Treatment Association (NDTA).

    Those physical therapists who saw an increase in motor delays said that
the lack of "tummy time," or the amount of time infants spend lying on
their stomachs while awake, is the number one contributor to the escalation
in cases.

    APTA spokesperson Judy Towne Jennings, PT, MA, a physical therapist and
researcher from Fairfield, Ohio, said, "We have seen first-hand what the
lack of tummy time can mean for a baby: developmental, cognitive, and
organizational skills delays, eye-tracking problems, and behavioral issues,
to name just some complications." She added, "New parents are told of the
importance of babies sleeping on their backs to avoid SIDS, but they are
not always informed about the importance of tummy time."

    Jennings explains that because new parents now use car seats that also
serve as infant carriers - many of which fasten directly into strollers and
swings without having to remove the baby from the seat -- this generation
of babies spends prolonged periods of time in one position. She recommends
that awake babies be placed in a variety of positions, including on their
tummies, as soon as they return home from the hospital. "Ideally, babies
should be placed on their tummies after every nap, diaper change and
feeding, starting with 1-2 minutes," she said. Jennings is co-author of the
research, "Conveying the Message about Optimal Infant Positions," Physical
and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, Volume 25, Number 3, 2005.

    In 1992, the American Academy of Pediatrics launched its successful
"Back to Sleep" campaign, which helped reduce the number of sudden infant
death syndrome (SIDS) cases by educating parents on the importance of
putting infants to sleep on their backs, rather than on their stomachs.
While putting infants to sleep on their backs is still vitally important in
reducing infant deaths, according to APTA, many physical therapists believe
that there should be more education to parents on the importance of "tummy
time" while babies are awake and supervised.

    APTA spokesperson Colleen Coulter-O'Berry, PT, MS, PCS, a physical
therapist at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, said flattening of the
baby's skull is another side effect of too much time spent on the back.
"Since the early 1990s, we have seen a significant decrease in SIDS cases,
while simultaneously witnessing an alarming increase in skull deformation,"
she said. Coulter-O'Berry cites a recent study published in Cleft
Palate-Craniofacial Journal 45(2): 208-16, in which it was reported that
several risk factors for misshapen heads were more common among babies born
after the "Back to Sleep" initiative. The study, which took place at
Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, Washington,
found that prior to 1992, the prevalence of misshapen heads among infants
was reportedly 5 percent. In recent years, craniofacial centers and primary
care providers reported a dramatic increase of up to 600 percent in
referrals for misshapen heads.

    She also points out that the combination of babies sleeping on their
backs, as well as spending an inordinate amount of time in infant carriers
that double as car seats, puts pressure on the head which can create a
flattening of the skull. In extreme cases, babies are fitted with a
custom-molded band that gently guides the baby's head into a more normal
shape.

    According to Coulter-O'Berry, parents can increase tummy time by
incorporating exercises into routine activities such as carrying,
diapering, feeding, and playing with baby. "Increasing the amount of time
your baby lies on his or her tummy promotes muscle development in the neck
and shoulders; helps prevent tight neck muscles and the development of flat
areas on the back of the baby's head; and helps build the muscles baby
needs to roll, sit and crawl," she said. Coulter-O'Berry is co-author of
Tummy Time Tools, an informative brochure that provides caregivers ideas
and activities to ensure that babies get enough tummy time throughout the
day. The brochure is now offered on the APTA Web site,
http://www.apta.org/consumer.

    Karen Karmel-Ross, PT, PCS, LMT, pediatric clinical specialist at
University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Rainbow Babies and Children's
Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio and national lecturer on muscular torticollis
(neck muscle imbalance), says that one way to engage in tummy time is to
spend time during each diaper change encouraging the infant to find, focus
and follow the caregiver's face or a toy with their eyes looking up, down,
left and right. "It's important to get our infants out of devices that
constrain mobility and onto their tummies so they can focus on neck muscle
balance as they interact with their caregivers," she said.

    The American Physical Therapy Association (http://www.apta.org) is a national
organization representing physical therapists, physical therapist
assistants, and students nationwide. Its goal is to foster advancements in
physical therapist education, practice, and research. Consumers can access
"Find a PT" to find a physical therapist in their area, as well as physical
therapy news and information at http://www.apta.org/consumer.

    About Pathways Awareness

    Established in 1988, Pathways Awareness is a national, non-profit
organization dedicated to raising awareness about the benefits of detecting
early motor delays and encouraging physical therapy in very young children.
Pathways' critical infant milestones literature has been recognized and
endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association
of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners as the definitive resource concerning
early motor delays. For more information, visit http://www.pathwaysawareness.org.