Tools for occupational therapists are usually thought of as those found in a hospital or nursing home: wheelchairs, exercise balls and pulleys. But ordinary household tools can be adapted for use in occupational therapy, as well. When it comes to helping people learn or re-learn how to engage in daily living activities, sometimes the simplest tools are the best. In "Adapt My World," author Joyce Plaxen provides ideas for simple adaptations that can be used by occupational therapists and parents alike to help children with disabilities become self-reliant at home, in school and on the playground.
Tools for occupational therapists are provided by J. Rose Plaxen who provides instructions for how to create adaptations for differently-abled children using common household objects that are readily available at the neighborhood drug store. The book includes sections on tools that children can use to accomplish tasks such as feeding themselves, bathing, getting dressed, turning the pages of a book and sitting comfortably at a desk. Because the tools are simple and inexpensive to make, occupational therapists can pass along instructions so parents can make their own sets to keep at home.
For the best tools, occupational therapists and parents must work together to help children master the "job of living." Adaptations are the tools children need to overcome the obstacles that result from living with a disability in an able-bodied world. The easier we can make it for children to achieve self-reliance, the more activities they can learn to complete independently, and the better equipped they will be to navigate that world.
A new car comes with a detailed owner manual, and new child comes with a wealth of how-to books, but unfortunately, resources for raising a disabled child are few. When J.Rose Plaxen realized her daughter was "differently abled" she decided to change this by writing Adapt My World: Homemade Adaptations for People with Disabilities, a home remedy-style book consisting of recipes for parents, educators and family members. "Our world, public or private, is not accommodating for differently abled individuals," said J.Rose Plaxen. "It's up to the individual who is taking care of each child to make their world truly their own. This book is filled with common-sense modifications that have an immediate and enormous impact on improving the daily lives of these children."
Adapt My World is the first such guide offering simple adaptations for many aspects of a child's life. Veteran parents, therapists, and teachers have handed down plenty of adaptations, but few have been printed for public viewing. Now families have a manual to guide them in accommodating their child's world. Adapt My World offers adaptations for the "differently abled" child at home, school, and play to achieve similar goals, tasks, and desires of an "abled" child.
