Perhaps I am once again being a luddite in attacking something which I haven’t properly researched, but this afternoon I came across the concept of ‘rebound therapy’. This is a ‘lesson’ in special schools, wherein kids get to go on a trampoline. Now, there appears to be some research to suggest that this may be beneficial for muscle tone in kids with cp, but it strikes me as a huge waste of time, quite literally as one Ofstead report says ‘a considerable amount of time is absorbed as pupils have to travel between school sites to use the swimming pool, Rebound Therapy and some other specialist facilities.’ I have two questions, 1. How does bouncing on a trampoline help kids in the long run? Trampolines are fun, but I fail to see how it helps kids in the long term, especially when you have to sacrifice so much teaching time for it. 2. wouldn’t it be better to do such things out of school time, such as at the weekends, if it is so beneficial. This is another example of the misguided medical model philosophy that giving a child things like physio is more important than educating him. To me, this is to squander a child’s future to an almost criminal extent. What good is the ability to walk if it would mean sacrificing the ability to read or count? Focussing on education rather than physio is better in the long term, as physical issues can be overcome mechanically, with things like chairs and vocas, whereas a poor education is a real disability. I personally think trampolines are most fun when they’re at a friends house, visited on a break from uni, bounced upon at dusk between swigs of beer.

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