When baseball pitcher, Matt Bruback, was hit in the knee with a crushing line drive in 2001, he never thought it would lead to a life-changing product for people with Asperger's syndrome, autism and other developmental conditions.
But 13 years later, the weighted device Bruback created to retrain his own muscles and movements is helping children and adults with developmental disabilities better understand their body mechanics and improve gross motor skills.
For the parents of one 10-year-old boy with Down Syndrome, this means seeing their son walk independently for the first time in his life.
Entrepreneur Bruback talks about giving up baseball to develop Miracle Belt and Sensory Belt and how these innovative products are changing lives.
Bonus!
RealAge Tip
Get the Facts on ADHD
Selected Podcast
Innovative Products for Developmental Disabilities
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Two years later Matt took the Balance Pro Sportbelt™ to Community Haven, where the belt was redesigned by occupational and physical therapists to help children with sensory needs. During the redesign therapists kept seeing "miraculous" benefits so it was named Miracle Belt™. The Sensory Belt™ was created for larger-sized children, teens and adults. The belts have been tested and certified "child safe" under Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) guidelines.This belt is used for self-calming, improved focus, increased body awareness, reduced hyperactivity and improved balance.
Matt Bruback
As a pitcher, Matt Bruback's coaches were constantly pulling on his uniform trying to get him to FEEL his balance point to make him more consistent in the strike zone. He realized he couldn't relate what they were trying to get him to feel, so while with the Baltimore Orioles he created a weighted belt to help himself become more aware of his body positioning. With the help of his mother and sister in creating the prototype, Matt created the Balance Pro Sportbelt™ to improve balance for athletes with sensory deficits.Two years later Matt took the Balance Pro Sportbelt™ to Community Haven, where the belt was redesigned by occupational and physical therapists to help children with sensory needs. During the redesign therapists kept seeing "miraculous" benefits so it was named Miracle Belt™. The Sensory Belt™ was created for larger-sized children, teens and adults. The belts have been tested and certified "child safe" under Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) guidelines.This belt is used for self-calming, improved focus, increased body awareness, reduced hyperactivity and improved balance.
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