It may look funny, but a spaceage apparatus created for cosmonauts is being used to jumpstart physical therapy for youngsters with cerebral palsy at a clinic in Hiram.

First used successfully in Poland, the Therasuit therapy program at the Kids in Motion Clinic is one of only six in the United States. It is being used to speed up the process of helping children learn basic motor skills.

Each child undergoes four hours of physical therapy five days a week for three weeks. Part of the therapy includes working in the suit, which is fitted with elastic bands to properly align posture, help correct a weak movement or strengthen a proper movement.

"We've had a lot of firsts here," said Christina Davia, DPT, MPT, director of suit therapy at Kids in Motion. "Kids are rolling, crawling, taking steps or sitting on their own for the first time thanks to the Therasuit, combined with basic physical therapy."

A child's daily session begins with heat massage, range-of-motion exercises and stretching. The child is outfitted with the suit, and then works with a therapist, using weights or a beltand- bungee setup.

"We build up the time in the suit, based on what each child can handle," Davia said. "The suit adds 20 to 30 pounds of pressure and increases the heart rate and breathing, so we build up to two hours. It provides resistance and assistance to help with the therapy."

The predecessor of the Therasuit was designed in the 1970s as part of the Russian space program to help reduce the effects of zero-gravity in space on cosmonauts' neuromuscular systems. In the 1990s, scientists at the Russian Space Agency and the Russian Academy of Science adapted the design to be used as part of a treatment therapy for cerebral palsy patients, obtaining positive results.

"We've been amazed with our results here," Davia said. "One child who came to us could only walk with crutches when he came in. By the time he left, he could take seven or eight steps on his own. He went home and kept practicing and now he walks all around the house without an assistive device." Suit therapy is more than strength training or developing range of motion.

"Each kid is different, but every one who comes here leaves with something gained," she said. "It's amazing. We go through a lot of tissues around here."