ASSISTIVE

PRODUCTS AND
RESOURCES
11
This module covers
the following information:

Assistive products and resources

What are assistive products?
Benefits of assistive products
• Supportive seating
• Wheelchairs
• Glasses
• Adapted cutlery
• Communication boards
Monitoring progress
Sharing emotions and feelings

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 ASSISTIVE PRODUCTS
AND RESOURCES
Important: This module can be run alone or at the same time as positioning.
You can use this module to advise on assistive products when there are less
rehabilitation services available.

Materials
One A4 piece of paper for each participant to make a hat from for the
ice-breaker, flipchart, pens, pictures of children with different types
of assistive products.

Icebreaker
Ask everyone to make a simple paper hat from their sheet of paper. Each
person then writes what they are called on the hat. This can be ‘parent’ or
‘job description’ or ‘nickname’ etc. In pairs, everyone can then describe the
names that they have on their hat.

Explain that over the past sessions we have learned together about ourselves,
our children, families and communities.

Explain
By the end of module 11, you will:

1. Understand what assistive products are.

2. Understand how assistive products can increase your child’s participation

in every day life.

3. Know how assistive products can be made and provided.

WHAT ARE ASSISTIVE

PRODUCTS?
Ask
“What are assistive products?”

Explain
Explain anything that helps your child do everyday activities on her own is an
‘assistive product’. This helps her be independent and take part in society. There
are many kinds of assistive products.

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 Can you name some assistive products?

• Glasses

• Walking frame

• Wheelchair

• Adapted cutlery

• Toileting Aid

• Walking stick

• Communication board

Facilitator Tips:
• Assistive products are often not used properly because parents don’t understand
why they are important. Sometimes they are also not shown how to use them.
Home environments may also limit use: a paper chair is not suitable in a home
where it might get wet, and a large wheelchair will not be helpful if there is not
enough space to move around in it. During your home visit, or this session, ask
participants to demonstrate to each other how the assistive product is used. This
will help you to identify their understanding, and reasons for why it is or is not
used.
• Manage expectations from the beginning!
Explain: not ALL CHILDREN will benefit from assistive products like an
expensive wheelchair.
• In the community mapping exercise, local carpenters may have been identified.
Encourage the group to identify how they can form a good relationship with a
local carpenter who can make low cost devices such as corner chairs. Decide
together how to ensure that they are of good quality. Locally made devices can
also be fixed locally if needed.

Put up the pictures of assistive products, and children using assistive products:

Photo by: The International Photo by: Motivation Photo by: CECHE Foundation
Committee of the Red Cross

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 Photo by: The International Committee of the Red Cross

Photo by: CECHE Foundation

Ask
“What is happening in the picture? What are the devices made from? Why do
some children have certain devices and not others? Are any made locally of low
cost materials? Are there any children without ‘assistive products’? Why?”

Discuss:

• Some children won’t need an ‘assistive product’.

• Find out what your child needs to see whether having one would help her
become independent.

• Each child’s abilities are different, so different assistive products should

be used.

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 BENEFITS OF
ASSISTIVE PRODUCTS
Ask
“How can a standing frame help?”

Explain
• Standing frames support your child when standing.

• Standing is an important position for your child to learn.

• Many children who can’t stand lie down a lot. In a standing frame your
child can see what is going on around her, play and interact with others.
This will help her development.

• A prone stander supports children who find it hard to hold their body up
by making it easier to lift the head. Your child leans forward on the device,
which also leans forward.

Discuss the ‘good’ and ‘poor’ positions in the diagrams below.

Head control
easier on prone
standing board Child is unable to lift head up in prone

Prone stander Child standing badly in an Child standing well in

upright standing frame a standing frame

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 Supportive Seating
Ask
”How can your child benefit from a supportive seat?”

• Sitting upright helps your child stay healthy by helping her digestion and
blood circulation.

• Stops your child from getting injuries that disable her more, and can help
her bones to grow strong.

• Your child is able to make eye contact with people around her, which helps
her communicate.

• Supporting your child while sitting can help her control her head, hands
and concentrate for longer. This will help her develop self-care (eating,
toileting, dressing), playing, learning.

A corner seat gives less support so should be used for children with more ability.
They are good for children up to 5 yrs old for floor activities.

Pelvis: upright

Hip joints: 90 degrees, knees slightly apart

Knees and ankles: 90 degrees

Back: straight

Shoulders: relaxed with arms free to move

Head: upright in the middle, chin tucked in

Side view: Ear, shoulder, hip – in line

From the front: Eyes, shoulders, hips,

knees are all level

Wheelchairs
Ask
“How can your child benefit from using a wheelchair?”

• Helps a child who cannot walk or move alone be independent.

• Can help a child get to school and into the community to play with other
children.

However, not all children who find movement hard will benefit from a
wheelchair.

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 To check if a wheelchair is right for your child, the World Health Organisation
(WHO) says a wheelchair should:

• Meet the wheelchair user’s needs.

• Be usable in their home environment.

• Fit well and be supportive.

• Be safe and last well.

• Be available and can be maintained at an affordable cost.

There are many different kinds of wheelchairs. They always need to be fitted
to your child by someone trained, so you should ask your therapist on a home
visit. If the wheelchair does not fit your child properly, she can become more
disabled.

Walking Frames
Ask
“How can a walking frame help your child?”

A walking frame will help if your child can stand on her own but finds it hard to
walk. It will help her move around and be active in your community.

Glasses

Photo by: Priya Morjaria

In Bangladesh 180 children with cerebral palsy were tested for visual
impairment. Around 32% had poor vision and 18% needed glasses.

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 Adapted cutlery
Ask
“When would
you use adapted
cutlery?”

You can make a

spoon or fork easier
to hold by making
the handle bigger.
You can also hold
your child’s hand in
place with a scarf.

Photo by: Enablement

Communication boards
Ask
“How can a communication board help your child?”

• If your child finds

speech difficult, a
communication
board helps
her express
her needs with
pictures.

• This helps
your child
communicate
with other
children and
adults, and be
included in your
Photo by: Enablement
community.

Photo by: Enablement

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 Activity 1
Ask each participant to demonstrate how they help their child to use their
assistive products. Ask each person to explain what they are doing, and how the
assistive product helps their child to participate in everyday life.

MONITORING
PROGRESS
Think back to session 4 where you looked at positioning and moving.

Take Home Messages:

• Identify helpful devices that make positions for everyday activities easier.
• Every child is different, so your child may have different abilities.

Ask
“What two things have you learned today that you will share with someone else
at home? “

SHARING EMOTIONS
AND FEELINGS
Ask
“How did this session feel? Did it raise any emotions or feelings that you did not
expect? How have you been feeling this week”

Allow time for discussion and interaction with each other. This should be a
guided session between everyone with only short prompting from facilitators.

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