Equipment Used in Occupational Therapy for Children with Learning Disability

Equipment Used in Occupational Therapy for Children with Learning DisabilitySpecial equipment for occupational therapy
When training a child with learning difficulties, one uses special equipment to help the child stand, sit, play, or interact. These are the children with trouble in coordinating their movement and processing the information received by the senses. So, the chair, table, and other equipment that these children use, should have special designs to provide enough support for them when they do their activity.

Sit on the floor

The therapist uses different types of positioning equipment depending on the activity the child indulges in at the moment. For instance, the Floor Sitting equipment has a wide base with a support for the back. The child can sit on the floor with his or her legs stretched out in front of them. The equipment gives support for the hips along with hand rests. The children can use the tray in front to place a book or keep their dinner plate. You can change the reclining angle of the Floor Sitting equipment to help the child lean back or sit up.

Relax for a while

You have the relaxation chair that has a headrest padded with foam. One can adjust the back of the chair to increase or decrease the reclining angle. The chair is made of teakwood or suitable durable hardwood. You can adjust the footrest according to the height of the child. The foam cushion upholstery and smooth finish prevent injuries to the child. The chair has a belt to help secure the child. The tray in front of the chair has ridged edges so that any object you place on it will not roll or slide off.

Stand up straight

To enhance the therapeutic gains, the occupational therapist would instruct the child to stand up straight. The Stand-up Chair helps them to do this easily. It has support for the knees, waist, and chest that you can change according to the height of the child. In addition, you have a tray in front for placing a book or a plate. The footrests give support to the foot.

One can see a similar item in the Stand-in Table. This is like the chair but does not give support for sitting. The child stands and is supported like before at the hips, knees, and chest. The table provides plenty of space for more activities such as drawing, painting, arranging blocks, and so on.

Padded wedge

This helps support the child in both prone and supine position. The padding on the wedge gives comfort. The wedge supports the child and helps them improve their body posture and develop the motor control.

When you buy positioning equipment, make sure they satisfy all the needed specifications. The material used to make the equipment must have quality. All the joints must be rigid and firm. One must not see any projecting pieces at any place in the equipment. The corners must be smooth and rounded. It must have adequate cushioning at all the places that come in contact with the child.

Image Credit : hamiltonpaviana

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