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Natalia’s swallowing and communication improve as a result of bettertrunk posture in the KIT Seating SystemNatalia is a teenage girl who lives in Berlin, Germany. Natalia has lowmuscle tone, and her pelvis rotates backwards into posterior tilt,resulting in an extremely kyphotic trunk posture.Clinical AssessmentIn the seated posture, Natalia's pelvis falls into posterior pelvic tilt due to low tone. This results in akyphosis of the thoracic and cervical areas of the spine. Her head sits forward and tilts down, so mouthclosure is difficult for Natalia and she salivates excessively. This head position also means thatcommunication is difficult, and Natalia cries frequently. If she wishes to hold her head up, the kyphosisof the cervical spine means Natalia has to hyper-extend her neck to achieve this. This causes fatigue anddiscomfort.Although Natalia can sit unsupported, the length of time is limited by her low muscle tone, and herupper limb function is reduced by her kyphotic position.

ApproachNatalia requires a seating system which can support her pelvis securely in a more neutral (upright)position, reducing the curvature of her trunk, and improving her head position and upper limb function.OutcomeNatalia’s pelvis was supported in a more upright posture by the Pelvic Cradle and the ability of KIT’ssacral pad to be adjusted proximally to her pelvis. The lumbar and shoulder sections of KIT werepositioned further back to accommodate the curve of Natalia’s trunk and prevent it from being pushedforward. Natalia also gained some anterior support from the chest pad.This resulted not only in better trunk alignment, but increased mouth closure, an improved swallowingpattern, more communicative babble and gesture, and Natalia seemed visibly happier in hersurroundings.