Rebound therapy

Rebound Therapy is the phrase that describes the specific 'Eddy Anderson model' of exercise therapy in which trampolines are used to provide opportunities for movement, therapeutic positioning, therapeutic exercise and recreation for people across the whole spectrum of special needs.
Sometimes referred to as special needs trampolining, but that does not give a full picture:
Rebound Therapy training teaches logical progressions of movement patterns designed to encourage the student to continually develop whilst at the same time experiencing healthy exercise and enjoyment.
For these reasons, Rebound Therapy training is widely accepted as the logical starting point for trampoline coach training - even for those who do not intend to work with disabilities.
The principles of Rebound Therapy form the basis of all gymnastic movement.
The Rebound Therapy training programme was founded in the UK in 1972 by Eddy Anderson MSRG, MCSP, Cert Ed; a specialist exercise therapist, remedial gymnast and physiotherapist. The techniques and programme have been developed and refined over the years by Anderson and his team and have been shared with government agencies and sports governing bodies in other countries. Rebound Therapy is now a growing worldwide movement.
The founding organisation is now known as Rebound Therapy.org. They are the official body for Rebound Therapy in the UK and are responsible for the development and delivery of training courses under that name. These training courses are approved by the Professional Development Board of afPE (The association for Physical Education). They also work in partnership with the English Federation of Disability Sports, Youth Sports Trust and the Federation of Disability Sports Organisations.
The training programme is an educational model, not a medical model and was originally validated by Cleveland Local Education Authority. It is designed for the sharing of skills across a wide range of professional competencies.
According to 'Rebound Therapy.org', there are to date, roughly 7,000 trained and validated Rebound Therapy practitioners in the UK, comprising of (but not limited to) school teachers, TA's, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, care home managers and staff, nurses, speech and language therapists, trampoline coaches and other sports coaches.
They also provide an international consultancy and work with agencies and sports governing bodies in other countries to help set up Rebound Therapy training facilities overseas.
(The integrity of the programme is protected by the phrase 'Rebound Therapy' being trademarked in the UK and in several other countries.)
Those who qualify as Rebound Therapy trainers are eligible for membership of the international membership association.
Rebound Therapy may facilitate movement, promote balance, promote an increase or decrease in muscle tone, promote relaxation, promote sensory integration, improve fitness and exercise tolerance, and improve communication skills.
It is used in leisure centres, care homes, day centres, special needs schools and in mainstream schools with a special needs unit. The trampoline is a piece of apparatus that, when used with the Rebound Therapy programme, virtually all people, regardless of their abilities, can access and enjoy and gain benefits from.
'Rebound Therapy.org' claim that, apart from the physical benefits, the trampoline is also an ideal vehicle for cross-curricular teaching activity; with the potential for teaching such things as numeracy, colour recognition, positioning (left, right, backwards, forwards, clockwise and anticlockwise), communication, social awareness and consideration of others.
Progress for ambulant students in Rebound Therapy sessions is generally measured and recorded using the Winstrada development and award programme. For students with more complex special needs, outcomes are commonly measured and recorded using the Huddersfield Functional Index.
Participants range from mild to severe physical disabilities and from mild to profound and multiple learning disabilities.
Eddy Anderson is also the inventor of the Sensafloat hydrotherapy aid.
Origins
The phrase "Rebound Therapy" was coined by the founder, Eddy Anderson, in 1969 to describe his programme of use of trampolines in providing opportunities for movement, therapeutic exercise and recreation for people with a wide range of special needs.
The programme started in the UK and has since grown into a worldwide movement.

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