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Adaptive Items to Help Kids with an Upper Limb Difference at Home and School

Amber Henson
by Amber Henson
Nov 19, 2024

We have a few articles, linked below, on helpful adaptive items that may be useful for anyone with an upper limb difference. But we wanted to make sure we had an article on items that our pediatric patients find useful. We spoke with three parents, the moms of Autumn, Amber and Jameson, about what their kids have found useful as they grow up.

Let’s start with clothes. Autumn’s mom, Sara, told us that Autumn wears BILLY Footwear. From the shoe company’s website: “Smashing fashion with function, BILLY Footwear incorporates zippers that go along the side of the shoes and around the toe, allowing the upper of each shoe to open and fold over completely.” Sara: “These make putting shoes on much easier, and they come in so many fun colors!”

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Velcro can come in handy a lot, says Jameson’s mom, Brooke. In the place of buttons or zippers, it can keep shirts closed. Pull-on shorts and pants are helpful, and Brooke has sewn loops inside waistbands so Jameson, who has a bilateral limb difference, can pull the bottoms up on his own. Key rings and larger zipper pulls on jacket zippers allow for easier manipulation.

Zipper

We have two articles about adaptive clothing, one for people with a unilateral limb difference, and further tips for people with a bilateral limb difference. In those articles we discuss button-assist tools and dressing trees, both of which Brooke told us she is starting to look into for her son.

Many of our patients find a universal cuff helpful to use with their residual limb or their prosthesis. A single-motor myoelectric hand, the only myoelectric available to younger children, is a great help but not so great at gripping a toothbrush. Sara says: “We actually used this with Autumn's passive device to hold pom poms and jump ropes." Jennifer, who is the mom of our patient Amber, also recommend a universal cuff, and both their kids use the EasyHold version.

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Okay, so there’s an easy way to hold the marker, but how do you replace the cap? Jennifer had some thoughts on that. Check out this article about how to make “The Re’marker’able Menorah,” (below) basically a craft you can do to create a box of standup marker caps for your kid. Or if they’re old enough for Sharpies, those markers have a click option, just like a pen.

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Other school supplies that both Jennifer and Brooke recommended include cutting tools, like the Slice Safety Cutter or Table Top Scissors. For gluing, Jennifer suggested Glue Tape, which can be a lot cleaner and simpler than a glue stick that has a cap that needs to be removed. Or simply put a sponge in a small plastic container, coat it with glue and touch the paper to the sponge when needed. To hold papers in place while working, a clipboard or Clip-It Strip can be employed. Lastly, a Smartpen may be of use as a child gets older and needs to take notes quickly.

Adaptive tools for mealtimes can simplify the process. When she was younger, Autumn used silicone plates that would stay in place while she ate. Dycem® is an ingenious solution for using regular plates, bowls and cups, and adding some grip on the bottom so they don’t slide around. Foam tubing on utensils can build up the surface area and allow for easier eating. There is also a product called MagnaCuff that may make eating at a restaurant simpler.

One thing that all the parents mentioned to us is that their kids just “figured it out” a lot. Jameson, despite having a bilateral limb difference, has figured out how to use scissors without his prosthesis. His mother, Brooke, states “He uses his own technique with his short arms.” Autumn’s mom, Sara, told us “Autumn has now learned how to tie her shoes and put her hair in a ponytail.” Which you can see in the video below:

All of our pediatric patients impress us at each visit with how creative and adaptable they are. We love seeing what tricks they come up with. We do want to stress, though, that parents should watch out for signs of overuse injuries. Adaptive items, not to mention a prosthesis (or two) can help mitigate those overuse issues and give children full use of their upper body without pain for many, many years to come.

If your child, or someone you know, needs prosthetic care, please contact us. As the most experienced upper limb specialists in the US, we offer our knowledge and a family-friendly environment to our patients. Each of our centers has capably fit many pediatric patients with a comfortable prosthesis, and our occupational therapists have taught our patients to use their devices. We also offer lifetime care, so we’re with you as your child grows out of their old prosthesis and into their new one.

Thank you to Sara, Jennifer and Brooke for their input about the adaptive items their children have found helpful. If you have a comment for them or us, please leave it below.

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