Abstract
Assistive technology (AT) implementation is often overlooked as an intervention approach to increase play engagement for children with disabilities. Discussion of barriers to and types of AT will promote understanding of its therapeutic use.
Primary Author and Speaker: Skye O’Connell
Additional Authors and Speakers: Beth Randall, Rebecca Eckdahl
Engaging in play opportunities is paramount to the childhood development of skills that will inform all future interactions; thus, limited participation in these experiences can negatively impact development (O’Connor et al., 2021; Rasmussen et al., 2023). Assistive technology (AT) implementation within rural services is minimal, likely as a result of unavailable resources, inadequate knowledge and limited confidence of current practitioners, and unfamiliarity of the therapeutic benefits within the community (Dishman et al., 2021; van Niekerk et al., 2018). The purpose of this project is to implore the increase of AT-related knowledge with device usage of local practitioners in an effort to improve the implementation within the community to promote equal access to play opportunities for all children. Attendees engaged in a 30-minute educational presentation followed by 3.5 hours of hands-on experience constructing 6 different low- and mid-tech devices, 5 of which they left with. Participants successfully completed the workshop after demonstrating a functional device at the end of each station. Data from both surveys was compared to extrapolate the implications of this project; all participants reported an increased level of confidence in AT implementation. The results of the present study indicate that increasing the knowledge of current practitioners on the usage of AT as a therapeutic means can improve their confidence related to implementation. These implications can be used to inform the therapeutic services available to children with disabilities by advocating for an increase in AT-related education for practitioners and improvements to the implementation of AT in rural communities to promote accessible participation in learning opportunities, specifically play, for this population currently experiencing limited participation in desired occupations.
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