New products are helping occupational therapists tap the motivational power, popularity, portability and versatility of digital technology. A new handwriting application by Zaner-Bloser for the iPad, for example, lets children see and hear the order and direction of motions involved in making individual letters as many times as they wish, and then practice using a stylus or finger while a character named Zanie cheers them on.

Another digital tool, the Pulse Smartpen from Livescribe, lets students record what they write and hear in class and then download both to an iPad. The handheld device has a built-in microphone and speaker and an infrared camera that captures and stores the user’s handwritten notes. Developed as a tool for architects, journalists and other professionals, the pen shows potential in the occupational therapy setting for middle school or high school students who have problems taking notes, said Denise Donica, OTR/L, DHS, assistant professor at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. The technology "fills in the blanks" visually as well if the student gets lost and starts to doodle, she said.

Donica added that although electronics can be helpful, OTs need to make sure digital gadgets don’t replace time-tested traditional techniques. "We have to be critical and analyze them and make sure we don’t just let those tools take over," she cautioned. For learning handwriting, for example, nothing can replace the multisensory experience of tracing letters in sand, she said.

Natalie Loewe, OTR/L, MS, who works with children at the Communication Clubhouse in Downers Grove, Ill., agreed with the less-is-more approach to computer-based toys. "In very small amounts [five to eight minutes of a 45-minute session], and especially used as a motivator, we’ve had some really nice success breaking through with making choices with visual attention" using the iPad, she said. "Then we transfer to hands-on activities."

Those hands-on activities might actually be more engaging for children who have ready access to electronics at home, noted Larissa Arnaboldi, OTR, a pediatric OT at Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, N.J. "The things the kids are doing most are the things they don’t have in other environments," she said.

Arnaboldi’s colleague, Chrissy Gilmore, OTR, said electronics can be especially helpful at home in reinforcing the skills learned in therapy. "Parents seem to be more likely to follow through on having kids engage in a tracing activity for letters on their iPad versus sitting down with them and doing it on paper," she said. They’re also more likely to work on motor activities using the Wii or Xbox Kinect, she added.

Arnaboldi’s and Gilmore’s favorite hands-on activities include Perplexus, a three-dimensional maze game that builds visual-perceptual and problem-solving skills, and frustration tolerance; Clever Castle by ThinkFun, a graded matching, sorting and problem-solving game for children as young as 3; Zingo, also by ThinkFun, a matching game that incorporates handwriting activities; and Wok N’ Roll, by International Playthings LLC, for graded movement control and eye-hand coordination, in which players use tongs to pick up beads.

An emphasis on hands-on techniques is also reflected in several new offerings from Achievement Products. Featured in the company’s fall catalog. "What we’re looking to do is incorporate classic therapy items with classic elements that we know have great appeal to children," said Julie Fraser, senior buyer.

For example, new products include a 9-foot, polyester-spandex resistance tunnel with a rabbit pattern designed to engage children with opportunities for imaginary play. "Children can now pretend they’re a rabbit burrowing through a tunnel," Fraser said. "When we can incorporate play patterns with therapeutic products, that is the best way to motivate a child."

That blending of therapy and play is also reflected in the company’s sensory/tactile offerings, including the BioColor Putty Kit, a liquid that congeals into putty as it’s manipulated, and Insta-Snow, a powdered polymer that turns into a cold snow-like substance when mixed with water.

Other interesting product developments in the sensory/tactile realm include the Sensachew Dog Tags and Sensachew Hexagon Pendant from Sensamart. Designed for children at the developmental age of 8 or older who need to bite, chew and fidget, the food-grade silicone products look more age-appropriate for older children, can be used with either a retractable key chain or lanyard, and come in firm or soft resistances.

The company recently introduced a line of inflatables that provide dynamic surfaces in a variety of shapes (hill, mountain, barrel, log, hotdog and bun, and ocean wave). "We’re seeing so many children who are delayed in motor development and using fixed motor patterns to get around," said Eileen Richter, OTR/L, MPH, FAOTA, who developed the line for Richter Air. The inflatables challenge those fixed patterns by activating core and proximal joint muscles.

Also new from Richter Air are the Baby Boundex and Toddler Tumblex, portable Lycra-based structures that use gravity to trigger exploration by babies and toddlers. •

Susan Birk is a freelance writer.