Can't Turn the Palm Up? Try This Fun Hemiplegia Activity 👦🏻 | Hemiplegic CP PT #6

👋🏽 Hi, I’m Amy Sturkey, a retired pediatric physical therapist with over 35 years of experience. I’m back with my unforgettable co-instructor, Devan (Dev in this video) 👦🏻. This time Pop 👨🏻‍🦳 joins us for a challenging upper-extremity activity that quickly becomes a lesson in motivation, negotiation, counting, birthdays, and who deserves the points at the end 😂 Devan is 15 years old and has right hemiplegic cerebral palsy from a perinatal left MCA stroke, along with a seizure disorder, aggressive behaviors, ADHD, autism, anxiety, mixed receptive-expressive language disorder, blindness in his right eye, poor impulse control, chronic insomnia disorder, and muscle weakness. He receives private physical and occupational therapy along with speech therapy, school-based vision services, and vocational rehabilitation. He lives with Momma Sue and Pop and attends virtual school. In this activity, Devan works on turning his right palm upward (supination) while earning points toward a highly motivating reward... a fart machine 💨😂 ⏱️ Timestamps 0:00 Introduction 0:39 Working on supination 1:33 Assistance only where needed 1:51 Why supination is difficult 2:19 Negotiating the counting 3:11 Incredible effort at repetition 15 3:32 Who earned the point? 3:39 Final thoughts ✋ What You’ll See in This Video In this session, Devan practices supination by turning his palm upward on his thigh. Once he reaches the palm-up position, Pop gives him a friendly palm-to-palm “five” before the next repetition begins. You’ll see: • Repetitive practice of active forearm supination • Devan initiating the movement independently • Assistance only where movement becomes difficult • Visible effort during a challenging movement pattern • Motivation, humor, and social interaction driving participation • Pop helping maintain engagement throughout the activity 💡 Why This Helps Supination (turning the palm upward) is often difficult for individuals with hemiplegic cerebral palsy and is frequently one of the last upper-extremity movements to return. This activity helps: • Strengthen active supination • Improve forearm motor control • Build repetition in a functional way • Encourage active participation • Combine motor learning with social engagement Devan initiates the movement himself and receives assistance only where needed. This allows him to practice what he can do independently while still experiencing success through the full range. Families and therapists around the world 🌍👨🏽‍👩🏼‍👧🏿👩🏾‍⚕️👨🏻‍⚕️ watch these videos, and I hope they spark ideas for making difficult exercises more engaging. 🧩 Watch the entire playlist for Devan here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAkJbMrHyKjOIKzrx2Rj-qEsmTTeFtR-v ⚠️ Safety Note These videos are for educational purposes only and are not a replacement for individualized physical therapy. Every child is unique. Please do not attempt these techniques if your child’s medical condition or abilities differ significantly from Devan’s. (I cannot provide treatment recommendations for a child I have not personally evaluated.) 📧 Contact [amysturkey@gmail.com](mailto:amysturkey@gmail.com) 🌐 Website [www.pediatricPTexercises.com](http://www.pediatricPTexercises.com) 🪶 Accessibility Closed captions have been reviewed and corrected. To turn on captions: Click CC To change languages: ⚙️ Settings → Subtitles/CC → Choose language or Auto-translate 📚 Books by Amy Sturkey (Amazon) P is for Poop and Pee Accidents – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLSRJ483 A is for Anxiety – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LXQ3W6V A is for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QH9H5HR C is for Cerebral Palsy – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088TSJCYP D is for Down Syndrome – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079P8HH49 A is for Autism – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071F4FFTB 🧠 Professional PT Books Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Hips – https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156736 Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Knees – https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156760 Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Ankles – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TX2ZCFD