Equipment for special needs kids is equipment that helps them navigate the everyday world independently. Faced with numerous obstacles to their independence, special needs kids can keep up with their peers if they only have the proper tools to help them. Simple adaptations, such as those presented by J. Rose Plaxen on her website and in her book "Adapt My World," can help children with physical disabilities to overcome the obstacles they face and become full participants in the world around them.
Equipment for special needs kids include such basic activities as pulling up a zipper, holding a pencil, playing with a ball or using a spoon can be daunting to a special needs child. Rather than getting frustrated and requiring assistance from someone else, special needs kids can learn to do all of these things and more by themselves - if they have the right equipment. Although it can be costly to purchase commercially manufactured equipment for special needs kids, there are numerous things parents can do themselves at little or no cost to help their special needs child succeed at home, in school and on the playground.
Equipment for special needs kids is a broad topic, and "Adapt My World" suggests dozens of ways parents and caregivers can accommodate their special needs child by adapting items they probably already have lying around the house. A few minor adjustments can turn a regular place setting into one that can be used with very little assistance by a special needs child. Another minor tweak and a physically challenged child can dress himself.
J. Rose Plaxen began writing "Adapt My World" when she first realized that some strategically placed non-skid bathtub strips enabled her young daughter to sit up in her highchair with little assistance for the very first time. As the parent of a child with disabilities, Plaxen had been disappointed by the lack of resources geared toward raising a child with special needs. So she decided to do something about it. Thus was "Adapt My World: Homemade Adaptations for People with Disabilities" conceived.
"Our world is not accommodating of differently-abled individuals," said Plaxen. "It's up to each individual caretaker to make the child's world truly their own. This book contains common-sense modifications that have an enormous and immediate effect on improving the daily lives of these children."
"Adapt My World" is the first book to put together the myriad hints about how to adapt a "differently-abled" child's environment to his or her needs. They come from therapists, teachers, and experienced parents. The book is organized in "recipe book" format, with lists of ingredients, detailed instructions, and substitutions. There are photographs of the finished products, some of them even in use!
The adaptations described in "Adapt My World" are divided into sections on home, school, and play. Adaptations for the home include chapters on mealtime, bath, and bedroom modifications. The section on play includes chapters addressing modifications for both independent and interactive activities, some of which provide these special children with the rare opportunity to fit in with their friends. Finally, a section on academics includes accommodations developed by teachers and therapists to facilitate study and socialization. Although this book presents a variety of modifications for a number of settings, the common thread running throughout the book is that small changes can make life a lot less challenging for children with disabilities and their parents.
