Annual Adaptive Expo Showcases Innovations in Occupational Therapy

学生，教师，专业人员和社区成员涌向亚瑟P. Girard Innovation Hall on Thursday, April 13, to celebrate UNE’s Master of 科学 in Occupational Therapy (M.S.O.T) program’s annual Adaptive Projects Expo.

A signature event of UNE’s Occupational Therapy program, 一年一度的博览会突出了儿童和家庭的循证干预措施，并展示了该大学一年级职业治疗(OT)学生的创造性适应性工作.

“I am always amazed at the innovation and creativity of our 一个米.S.O.T. 学生与从业人员和客户合作，以满足社区的需求,” remarked Elizabeth Crampsey, Ed.D., M.S., OTR/L, associate clinical professor of occupational therapy at UNE.

M区的学生.S.O.T. Class of 2024 presented their projects to each other, 他们的教授, local OT practitioners, 家庭, 校友, 和社区，并在脸谱网上直播他们的创作，让全世界都能看到.

在众多项目中，包括学生凯特琳·哈钦斯(Katelyn 哈钦斯)创作的适应性图片食谱, 凯莉皮门特尔, 和Yasmeen Tum.

The “Picture This” cookbook, to go to Gallant Therapy Services, is designed for children to engage in cooking through touch, 味道, 声音, 愿景, 和味道. 食谱是根据容易程度和预防程度来组织的——从“绿色”食谱开始，不需要加热或锋利的工具, to “Yellow” recipes where microwaves may be used, to “Red” preparations that involve adult super愿景.

Each recipe in the book has a cover page with sensory considerations, 每一份食谱都可以从防水套筒里拿出来带进厨房, and all tools and ingredients are separated into easy-to-read lists. “这样, 孩子们在看食谱的时候就知道该期待什么了,皮门特尔说.

In creating the cookbook, 哈钦斯, 皮门特尔, and Tum were able to see, 第一手, how their client’s patients will interact with the recipes, as they developed them together.

“We got that sensory input that a child is going to get, 所以我们实际上能够从一开始就了解参与其中的真实感受,Tum说。. “We call that task analysis; we’re really looking exactly at what it takes to do tasks and making sure we understand our product so it can better support our clients.”

皮门特尔说，在学习成为一名职业治疗师的同时，与外部客户合作是一次宝贵的经历.

“Personally, this was an amazing experience,” 皮门特尔 commented. “选择一个项目并从职业角度来思考它是令人兴奋的. And when we took the cookbook down our own road, it was uplifting to hear positive feedback from our client. I think this was a really positive and fun experience for all of us.”

当Michaela Svendsen和Hannah 哈钦斯为他们的客户创造了一款自适应视觉运动整合(VMI)弹珠跑游戏时，他们知道自己想要创新, 一家儿科门诊诊所，为患有自闭症谱系障碍(ASD)发育迟缓的患者提供服务, and other sensory processing conditions.

这个以间谍为主题的板可以让孩子们把弹珠扔进顶部的漏斗里，然后跟着弹珠在一系列障碍物上反弹，这是一种练习和磨练手眼协调能力的方式. 的转折? Svendsen and 哈钦斯 worked cross-campus with 一个是P.D. 美林Makerspace, 一个设备齐全的实验室，为现实世界的问题创造、构建和发展解决方案, to construct a number of their project’s elements, including a 3D-printed funnel, 纺纱, and a collection cup at the bottom of the device.

“我们与导师密切合作，讨论我们认为哪些细节最适合打印,斯文森说. “她在解释3d打印过程和帮助我们实现想象力方面非常有帮助.”

The marble run is an example of how UNE’s occupational therapy 学生们正在思考这个职业的未来，以及技术和制造业的融合，为患者提供更好的护理.

“想到这个工具将如何改变孩子的生活和他们在干预过程中的治疗，这是非常令人兴奋的,斯文森说. “我们真的运用了我们在课堂上学到的所有东西，把这个项目放在一起，使它成为孩子们可以使用的最好的东西.”

Sometimes, simple is best. That was the mindset 贝利(merrill Lynch), 凯特林Bubnowicz, and Sierra Tartre used in developing a set of adaptive, sensory board games for a blind client at a local school district.

这三人修改了一套现有的棋盘游戏，并开发了自己的材料，使他们的客户更有触感, who is working their way up to reading Braille. 自适应“糖果乐园”设置中的游戏棋盘部分和部件允许使用匹配的复合材料进行触觉区分. 棋盘游戏也有边缘，所以所有的棋子保持包含. The group also constructed wooden card holders for card games, so the client doesn’t have to hold them, a move made to facilitate easier play with other children.