A prone standing board is recommended for a 5-year-old child with severe hypotonia. The PRIMARY purpose is to:

A prone standing board is recommended for a 5-year-old child with severe hypotonia. The PRIMARY purpose is to:

• A. Promote weight bearing
• B. Reinforce an exaggerated positive support reflex
• C. Prevent hip dislocation
• D. Increase hip and knee range of motion

Answer: (A)

Weight-bearing through the legs with support from a prone-standing frame provides essential sensory feedback and activates anti-gravity muscles, which is especially helpful in a child with severe hypotonia. This standing setup helps develop trunk and hip alignment and prepares the child for upright posture by offering controlled loading and stability. The goal isn’t to reinforce a reflexive standing response or reflexive positive support, though reflexes may be present; the emphasis is on building postural control through sustained weight bearing. Preventing hip dislocation is important in many contexts, but it isn’t the primary aim of this device—proper alignment and controlled loading are the focus. Increasing hip and knee range of motion isn’t the main objective here either, since the priority with hypotonia is stability and strength through loading rather than ROM gains.

Weight-bearing through the legs with support from a prone-standing frame provides essential sensory feedback and activates anti-gravity muscles, which is especially helpful in a child with severe hypotonia. This standing setup helps develop trunk and hip alignment and prepares the child for upright posture by offering controlled loading and stability. The goal isn’t to reinforce a reflexive standing response or reflexive positive support, though reflexes may be present; the emphasis is on building postural control through sustained weight bearing. Preventing hip dislocation is important in many contexts, but it isn’t the primary aim of this device—proper alignment and controlled loading are the focus. Increasing hip and knee range of motion isn’t the main objective here either, since the priority with hypotonia is stability and strength through loading rather than ROM gains.