I am an Occupational Therapist and work primarily in Queens. This year I needed a couple of adaptations for Owen, an 8-year-old boy with a diagnosis of global delays. Owen is non- verbal and is unable to ambulate. He takes all of his nutritional intake and medications via g-tube. His family hasn't been able to get all of the equipment he needs due to complex processing of equipment through either health insurances or the department of education. He would spend most of his day in a stroller, being held by someone, on a blanket on the floor or in his bed.  Additionally the family’s primary language is not English and there's a language barrier. One of my colleagues suggested I contact the Adaptive Design Association as they had recently worked with them at a school in Manhattan.

 

I reached out to them and I'm so glad I did. They built a custom high-back chair Owen needed so he could finally sit independently and comfortably with good posture (his family only had a stroller for him to sit at home). They also provided a tray and a reading easel for this chair. The day of the delivery they also brought a rocker chair another child had used and outgrew. Although this rocker chair wasn't custom-made for him, he's using it on a daily basis and he loves it. 

 

Owen is one lucky little boy! Thanks to ADA he's now able to choose between 3 different seating options throughout the day (stroller, high-back chair, rocker chair). He uses the high-back chair to sit at the dining table with his family during meals and is part of the socialization that usually takes place during mealtimes. He also uses his chair during therapy and during his educational lessons. With the tray and reading easel he can look at his books and iPad. The easel encourages Owen to keep his head up and helps with strengthening his muscles for better head control and visual attending skills. The chair also allows Owen to maintain an upright erect sitting position, which helps with his respiration, with his ability to make more sounds and with his ability to explore materials freely using his hands since he is properly positioned. He can even look directly at people sitting across from him now instead of always looking up as he had to when he was always in his stroller.  Owen's parents and I are forever grateful to ADA because if it weren't for ADA he would still be sitting all day in the stroller in an uncomfortable position with no support. He was also at risk for developing curvature of the spine due to poor positioning in the stroller. 

 

The staff at ADA are professional and caring individuals who truly want to make a difference in a child’s life. I was impressed with their approach, knowledge and the caring attitude that they demonstrated during the process of constructing the chair for Owen. They should be commended for the work they do because they certainly make a difference in the lives of children with special needs.

 

Liz Kazeros

OTR/L