June 7, 2024
Along with advisors, members of the neighborhood and tutorial companions, a bunch of scholars from the PC OTD program added new switches, seat rests, harnesses and lap belts to assist in giving independence to youngsters with restricted mobility.
by Sarah Murphy
There isn’t a denying the power of play in baby improvement.
That’s precisely what college students and school from the Presbyterian School Occupational Remedy Doctoral Program (PC OTD) leaned into when modifying two ride-on toy automobiles for native youngsters with particular wants, giving them extra impartial mobility and an opportunity to play and socialize with their friends extra simply.
This spring, 5 college students and two college members from PC OTD partnered with tutorial companions and members of the neighborhood to take part in Go Child Go, a world program that adapts ride-on toy automobiles for kids with particular wants. Energy wheelchairs price 1000’s of {dollars} and often aren’t an choice till youngsters are older. Modified ride-on automobiles present independence at a a lot youthful age and at a comparatively low price.
The Go Child Go build at PC was organized and overseen by Courtney Addison, OTD, OTR/L, Assistant Professor and Capstone Coordinator, and Allie Turner, OTD, OTR/L, Tutorial Fieldwork Coordinator and Assistant Professor. College students Nubia Vazquez Arana (Class of 2025, Cohort 3), Amy Clark (Class of 2026, Cohort 4), Alycea Graham (Class of 2025, Cohort 3), Jaymie Hughes (Class of 2024, Cohort 2) and Graceanna Periods (Class of 2025, Cohort 3) all volunteered their time to learn to adapt the autos to serve the particular wants of the 2 native youngsters who had been recognized by scientific companions pretty much as good candidates for the automobiles.
The 2 automobiles have been donated by Kay and Danny Ciganovic who began “Matthew’s Motors” after their son benefited from a Go Child Go automobile. The PC staff added new switches, seat rests, harnesses and lap belts to assist enhance security and provides extra alternative for mobility. One of many recipients will trip the automotive in a parade on the South Carolina Poultry Competition in Batesburg-Leesville.
Along with the automobiles, the staff additionally constructed a number of toys with switches that may be performed with by youngsters of all talents. The toys can be distributed to native pediatric clinics.
“Our college students have been actively concerned within the construct with steerage on use of instruments and understanding of various situations to make the mandatory modifications for the autos and the toys,” says Turner. “The scholars are in a position to take this data and train others sooner or later the way to make cost-effective variations that may enable extra youngsters to interact of their occupation of play.”
Different contributors within the PC Go Child Go construct included Dr. Mel Goodwin with Laing Center Faculty; Jessica Newton, OTR/L ppOTD Candidate of the Newberry Hospital Stepping Stones Clinic; Dr. Aaron Turner, Assistant Professor Submit Harvest Engineering, Clemson College; Captain Michael Addison, Clinton Police Division; and scholar Boone Hitch from Daniel Excessive Faculty.
“We’re already seeing the profit from our therapists in our communities utilizing the tailored change toys with their shoppers to assist them play,” says Turner. “We are able to solely think about the chance of constant our Outrageous service efforts to serve our neighborhood and train the long run era of OTs to be servant leaders who’re nice essential thinkers with nice scientific reasoning abilities.”
To be taught extra concerning the Occupational Remedy Doctoral Program at PC, go to this system web site.
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