Q1: What are some examples of assistive technology supports for young children?

<Amanda Arevalo>

As an early interventionist, the ultimate goal is to provide a child every opportunity to develop age-appropriate skills and keep up with their peers.  However, there are times when children have special needs and are not able to develop those skills without assistance.  It is crucial to consider assistive technology when therapy alone will not help the child achieve his/her goals.  Assistive technology (AT) can include an array of items something as simple as an adaptive pencil, crayon, scissors, utensils; or mildly complex such as an adaptive chair or tray; to something more complex, a walker, stander, orthotics, hand splints, augmentative communication, etc.  Assistive technology can also include thinking outside of the box, like using household items or other items for different purposes than what they were intended to do.  For example, using a pool noodle or 3-ring binder for positioning, Velcro for fine motor adaptations, or make-up wedges to adapt a book for easier page turning.  These are just some ideas of how assistive technology can be simple, complex, but also may require creativity.