Your Therapy Source Magazine for Pediatric Therapists July 2016 | Page 20

Q: What made you come up with your product?
A: When my son was little I noticed that many toys were made of plastic similar
to what was used to make colorful and sturdy detergent bottles. I also noticed
that the bottle handles were designed to be comfortable, very strong and came in
a variety of sizes.
I began to design and fabricate my own therapy materials out of the plastic
products that we normally recycled and this was great because the activities
could then be individualized, made cheaply, available quickly and easily replaced
when lost or broken. I cut plastic containers with leather shears to make many
manipulation activities including lacing boards (with extra large holes) and flat
donut shapes used in stringing activities. Many of my clients who did not have the
motor control to string beads were able to successfully use these materials.
Weaving is a wonderful fine-motor activity that develops finger dexterity,
strength, sequencing skills and spatial concepts such as under and over. These are
important skills that help children to manipulate buttons, buckles and tie a knot. I
made a variety of weaving activities out of plastic containers (see them on my
website-RecyclingOT.com) and they were so effective and fun to use with my
clients that I decided to ask a designer friend to make a prototype. The product he
created is made of plastic that gives just the right amount of resistance to weave.
They can be used in a variety of ways, allowing for open ended creativity and best

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