physical disability

Increase the ability of students to participate in card games by using a hairbrush as a cardholder. Students can forget about the struggle to hold cards and focus on Old Maid, Go Fish or even Crazy 8's! For more support, use Velcro to secure the hairbrush to a non-skid placement.

Moving targets are hard to grab! Help students with limited grasp or fine motor skills play with wheeled toys by gluing raised knobs to mobile cars, trucks and airplanes. Try the wooden candle cup holders sold at most hobby shops.

A child that has difficulty grasping objects may be unable to manipulate puzzle pieces. For some children, simply cutting notches into the side of each of the puzzle pieces may make them easier to grasp. Adding handles of some kind to puzzles can also make them accessible. A knob, empty thread spool, or section of dowel rod may make a handle that a child can grasp. If the puzzle came with knobs, but they are too small, simply replacing them with larger knobs can make the puzzle accessible. If the child cannot grasp a handle, adapting the puzzle with Velcro may be the solution.

Materials:

• Hook and loop Velcro (sticky back)
• ½ inch elastic long enough to wrap around child’s hand one time with overlap of 1 inch

Instructions:
Sew a 1 inch piece of hook Velcro to one end of elastic and a one inch piece of loop Velcro to another end. Sew a two inch piece of hook Velcro at the middle of elastic. Stick a piece of loop Velcro onto the toy that the child wishes to play with to allow for grasping.

For our students without mature grasp patterns, use a foam gripper or foam ball. Pierce one end with a sharp object (a pen will do) and insert pencil.

Materials:
• Two - 1/2 in. PVC Pressure Tee Connectors
• One - 1/2 in. PVC Nipple
• One 1/4 in. x 1 in. thumb screw
(PVC and other materials are available at Home Depot or similar hardware store).

Directions:
1. Drill a 1/4 inch hole into one of the PVC Tees in the center where all angles meet. (See photo).
2. Assemble the pencil holder by attaching a PVC Tee to each end of the PVC Nipple.
3. Thread the thumb screw into the drilled hole.

Instead of relying upon hand-over-hand assistance, enable students to select colors and recap makers independently with a weighted marker holder. Find a plastic container that will hold a one inch base of Plaster of Paris. Add Plaster of Paris to the container, insert markers cap-end down and let the plaster harden.

Drill a half-inch hole into a wooden dowel, insert a marker, add two rubber washers to keep the marker secure and increase student participation in name writing or art assignments. Add a maker with letter or number stamps so student can practice writing the alphabet or counting.

What you’ll need:

• Crayons (like I said, you could use ones you already have or buy some. I purchased 5 boxes of 24-pack crayons for 20 cents each - back to school bargains!)
• mini muffin pan (one that you don’t mind getting a little crayon on)
• exacto knife (optional)

Film canisters may be used to create easy hold grips for many items. They are available free from any store that does film processing.

Materials:
Discarded 35 mm film canister
Utility Knife
Crayon

Directions:
Cut an X in the bottom and top of the film canister. Insert the crayon through the Xs. Note: By using both top and bottom of canister the crayon is more stable.