Discussion:
Assistive Devices and Adjustment Needs
Questions:
1. Children who are taught to use one or more assistive devices often require a period of adjustment as they develop new strategies for experiencing their world. While it is exciting to be able to see, hear, or speak more than before, it is still an adjustment for the child, his family members, and his teachers. At times, children become frustrated as they try to relearn their environments (home and school).
2. What problems might families have adjusting to a child using an assistive device (especially practical and social problems)?
3. Describe the types of social adjustments that the child might experience and what strategies can be used to help him or her during the period of learning how to use the device.