The Pumper Car ride-on vehicle was recently featured in Autism Digest.
Joy Kincaid, a pediatric occupational therapist at Legacy Salmon Creek, was interviewed by the magazine about how she and other therapists use the Pumper Car units. She told the editor, “[The children] don’t even know it’s about therapy goals, like self- confidence, muscular strength, and also heavy work. Working hard through muscular strength is helpful. It’s calming, and they sleep better. Speech therapists also use [the Pumper Car device] for engagement, such as communication and following directions.”
One of Kincaid’s eight-year-old patients, Adalynn Amash, comes to therapy once a week. Her mother, Jennifer Amash, explained, “[The Pumper Car unit] gives them balance, strength, and coordination, and they have a lot of fun with it.”
The manager for Legacy’s rehabilitation program, Lisa Lyons, PhD, put it this way: “Our patients often need to gain or regain skills. The Pumper Car vehicle is accessible and provides therapeutic benefit as an approved piece of medical-grade exercise equipment. [It’s] visually appealing, fun-looking, and does not set the rider apart as being ‘different.’” A testament to the Pumper Car unit’s popularity, Lyons added, is that “it’s a hot commodity!”