It depends on many aspects when it comes to the supply with auxiliary means for children with cognitive and physical disabilities. Ideally, the everyday assistant accompanies the children through their childhood into adulthood and are always customized to their needs and aspirations.
If it’s about selecting and adapting the right auxiliary mean, the child and its individual needs certainly should be in focus. If the offspring is unable to use a wheelchair itself because of reduced mobility, a flexible pushchair, or even rehab buggy, makes sense. It hardly differs optically from other models and is usually a good preparation for the change to the wheelchair. If this takes place it is also very common by now that seats from active wheelchairs for example can continually grow with the child.
To make habituation more easy it’s especially important for children that handling and usage can take place easily and intuitively. An almost playful approach can help children who have problems with language or speaking. Special apps in which you can build sentences with the help of different pictures, or robots interacting with children can help them to better cope with difficult situations of communication.
Not just in their everyday life, but also at school, children can profit by this. Apps or voice output tools like talkers and other means in context of so-called Assisted Augmented Communication overcome possibly existing barriers and can contribute their part to social participation.And especially in habitat school special school chairs can be already helpful for children with concentration and learning difficulties plus heightened urge to move. They promote concentration by balancing while sitting and have a special seat shape to ensure an optimal hip and pelvic positioning. The company Thomashilfen offers different models that may be useful for children with AD(H)S and autism among others. The main focus of these chairs is that they fit discreetly into the entire seating of the classroom and creating no special status thus.
By selecting the appropriate auxiliary means it’s very important for parents and children to receive expert advice – from people who have specialized on the supply of auxiliary means for children with disabilities and who also have long-term experience. One possible contact person for this is the German network pädiVital.
In this association of 29 health specialist companies the focus is on customer orientation: Children with disabilities and their individual needs are in focus. The competence network wants to improve the situation of disabled children and to achieve a broader understanding of the supply with auxiliary means for children in society with a comprehensive and personally tailored counseling offer.