In our early days, I cold-called a lot of developmental experts and medical doctors at teaching hospitals in and around San Francisco. They all wanted to meet in person!
They all thought Otteroo was a brilliant idea – a game changer to allow infants to start physical therapy interventions early was often the first lightbulb that went off for them.
There are many studies examining the benefits of aquatic therapy and early interventions. This study (not with Otteroo) concludes that there is a relationship between aquatic exercise, respiratory outcomes and functional activities in water and on land in children with Neuromuscular Disorders.
We were also excited for Otteroo's potential to kickstart infant development.
When you think about it, it just makes sense – the earlier your baby is able to experience self-produced locomotion (moving from point A to point B), the sooner their brain is able to start understanding cause and effect.
A 10-year longitudinal study involving 374 participants concludes that “Infants who were more motorically mature and who explored more actively at 5 months of age achieved higher academic levels as 14-year-olds.”
Please note that we are NOT claiming any benefits until we have more data, but the above are pretty solid reasons to explore further. And we were excited and humbled that many academics agree and were interested in working with us to quantify how Otteroo may be beneficial!
Here are some of the peer-reviewed studies.