“How am I supposed to teach him to tie his shoes?”
The Occupational Therapy student’s cheeks were pink. A concerned look creased her face.
Self-doubt was creeping in. I understood.
Sometimes you get a child on your caseload that seems to have a lot of obstacles to face, just to live a normal independent life.
This little boy was no exception. Charlie was born with amniotic banding, a rare condition caused by fibrous strands of the amniotic sac entangling the limbs or other parts of the body, which can cause deformities in utero. In Charlie’s case, he was born without his left hand.
How do you teach bilateral skills like cutting, buttoning, and tying to a child with only one hand?
You adapt. And you teach them to adapt. There’s always a way.
- Every child deserves to live a full and happy life.
- They deserve to be independent.
- And they deserve to accomplish typical milestones, such as tying their shoes for the first time.
I love to use adaptive tools to make these mountainous challenges just a bit easier for my little guys. So I was super excited to tell my OT student about Zubits.
This is a sponsored post, which means I was compensated to write it. However, I only partner with companies and products that I personally use and love. And this is one of them!
Introducing Zubits
Zubits are the perfect solution for children (or adults for that matter) who struggle with tying due to:
- difficulty motor planning (dyspraxia)
- range of motion limitations
- lack of coordination
- inability to use two hands
- difficulty reaching down to their feet
- poor fine motor skills
- poor standing tolerance or balance
- weak hand strength
They are also great for kids or adults with orthotics or braces that make tying more difficult.
Zubits allow a person to close their shoes with one hand. Patients can even use a grabber to close their shoes in a second.No more shoe tying!
Karen was completely relieved at this magical solution. She couldn’t wait to teach Charlie how to use Zubits.
His little face lit up when he put his sneakers on independently and closed them.
Charlie was able to easily close his Zubits magnets by pulling them together with one hand. Karen used a simple adaptive technique to help Charlie disconnect Zubits by tying a little loop through the top hole which allowed him to separate the Zubits with one finger.The magnetic securing function took the frustration out of Charlie’s morning routine. Now he could get dressed on his own like a “big boy”!
Use Zubits for Hands-Free Shoe- Removal
Karen taught Charlie to step on the heel of his opposite shoe to pop the Zubits open. Before we knew it, he was a pro.
“I want to get these for my grandmother!” Karen said excitedly. “She has such a tough time bending down and she hates to ask for help.”
Zubits Are a miraculous solution for the Elderly, too!
With a grabber, Zubits close in a snap. The magnets are crazy strong, so they stay closed.Zubits are the perfect choice for patients with
- arthritis
- contractures
- weak hand strength
- hip precautions
- poor balance
- impaired bilateral skills
The list goes on and on!
Get 25% off your Zubits with Promo code “MissJaimeOT”
Use the code “MissJaimeOT” to get 25% off your Zubits. They come in a variety of colors, too.
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