getting around

These soft foam chairs allow children to sit upright to independently interact with toys and people around them. The seats are lightweight and can be taken anywhere. The seat stabilizes the hips and encourages proper alignment.

Did you ever think of using a small one-step bathroom stool as a chair? A stool with a back was turned into a perfect chair for a young child to sit and play with his mother. The step stool was just the right height for the child to sit in with his feet on the floor. The side and back of the stool provided enough stability so that his mother could sit in front of him and play!

Often times a stander can be a great way to position a child with disabilities upright to play. A tray can be attached to the stander to provide a surface for playing with toys. The tray can also be removed so that the child can be moved close to participate in other activities like splashing in a water table or digging in the sand at a sand table. You may need to raise the level of the water table by placing it on blocks so that the child can reach the sand or water. Don’t forget stools for siblings and peers so that they can reach the stander tray or water table to play with the child.

This plastic desk can be used in multiple ways. The desk can be placed on the floor next to the family sofa so the child has back support while playing near other family members. It's great for those children with poor sitting balance because the two side pockets act as support. It can also be used to help children learn to complete tasks. Items are placed in the left pocket, the child completes the task on the table top and when done, sets the completed task in the right pocket. In this picture, the desk is used with a laundry basket for a child who has low tone.

This child had difficulty sitting in a shopping cart due to myoclonic jerks. A swimming pool noodle was cut into sections to cover metal areas of shopping cart. The foam noodle pieces were light weight and easy to carry and protected the child injuring themselves on the shopping trip.

This inexpensive stander was designed by an O.T. and can be easily built by someone with minimal carpentry skills.

A piece of foam was cut into a wedge and placed under the dislocated hip when the child was sitting which improved her posture and her ability to use her hands to play. When used in the highchair, she had more support and was able to feed herself more successfully. The wedge was also used under her foot when standing to improve her stability and posture to facilitate easier play at the couch with toys. The wedge was also easy to transport: just throw it in the diaper bag and it could be used in other settings.

A plastic reclining lounge chair from K-Mart for $9.99 can be used as a bathing chair or chair to play in a baby pool or sandbox. The chair works great, is inexpensive and less cumbersome to carry than a heavy bath chair. The child is supported, and can play with other children while seated. If a belt is needed, there are openings to run a hip belt or shoulder straps already designed in the chair.

This table was built to provide a simple, cost effective way for a child to play with toys when seated on the floor. A simple tray was constructed out of triwall cardboard (a byproduct of the local furniture industry—they use it to ship furniture). The tray is strong, can be easily adapted by cutting it, and can even be covered with contact paper to add color and allow it to be wiped clean. Total cost of the table was about $7.00 for the triwall and glue.

A child’s grandmother created a “sleeve” to fit over the child’s wheel chair seat belt, making it safe and harder to undo.

Materials

• One piece of soft flannel material 36" long and 7" wide
• Thread to match material
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine or needle

Directions
Lay material on flat surface with back side facing up.
Using straight pins, pin edges together lengthwise along material.
Using sewing machine or needle, stitch along line lengthwise.