03-19-2026 at 2:00 pm ET
.1 CEU
Speaker: Lauren A. O’Rourke PT, DPT, ATP, CPST
Level: Beginner
Children with disabilities may have many needs that differ from their typically developing peers. This may include adaptive equipment to maintain or improve health status, help them function, and meet developmental milestones. Refined assessment tools allow for early diagnoses, which then leads to early therapeutic intervention. As a result, we can anticipate what the functional impairments are going to be, and what type of equipment may be indicated. The timing of interventions, including provision of adaptive equipment, can be a critical contributor to success in meeting therapeutic goals. Professionals involved in equipment prescription should recognize what types of equipment may be helpful, based on timing and diagnosis. This presentation will review childhood development and disability and encourage the learner to consider the scope of possible equipment needs for the child with a disability.
Learning Outcomes:
- Participants will be able to identify key developmental differences and equipment needs in children with disabilities compared to typically developing peers.
- Participants will be able to explain how early assessment and diagnosis inform and guide appropriate equipment selection.
- Participants will be able to explain the value of interdisciplinary collaboration in determining appropriate adaptive equipment for children with disabilities to help those children achieve developmental milestones and enhance occupational engagement and functional performance.
