Smiles and Imaginations Abound at Annual OT Adaptive Expo

The Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (M.S.O.T.) program at the University of New England held its annual Pediatric Adaptive Projects Expo on Tuesday, April 23, on UNE’s Portland Campus for the Health Sciences.

A signature event of the Occupational Therapy (OT) program, the annual event showcases student-crafted projects designed to assist children with various sensory processing conditions or neurodevelopmental delays. Students and their families, faculty, and members of the community gathered in Girard Innovation Hall for the event, which featured over 25 adaptive projects ranging from sensory boards, giant board games, a climbing wall, and modified toys, among others. 

For their assignments, students partner with community providers to create projects that meet the needs of a classroom, outdoor play space, or individual child. The projects may be related to sensory needs, motor needs, or overall learning strategies. 

All projects are donated to either local families or centers that cater to clients with such conditions, said Kris Winston, Ph.D., OTR/L, program director of Occupational Therapy at UNE, which provides students the opportunity for hands-on learning.

“Students use evidence-based strategies, clinical reasoning skills, and amazing creativity to create the projects,” Winston said. “Each year, it is wonderful to welcome our community to campus to experience the joy that occupational therapy can provide in helping children and others navigate life’s adventures.”

Class of ’25 students Kaleigh Walsh, B.S. ’23, Alexandria Pare, B.S. ’23, and Rebecca Corbett, B.S. ’22, used their creative skills to construct enlarged, adaptive versions of the popular toy Lite-Brite, including one four-by-four-foot structure designed to facilitate children’s fine motor skills, creativity, problem solving, cognitive abilities, hand eye coordination, and — of course — fun. This larger toy is being donated to a nursery school in Revere, Massachusetts.

“Building these projects put in perspective how OT have to be creative and adapt when things don't always go as planned,” remarked Walsh, who is considering a career in pediatric or geriatric OT. “Knowing how many different clients this is going to serve made building it so much more enjoyable. I can't wait to hear all the stories of how the children at the nursery school and the clinic enjoy their new Lite-Brites."

The group also constructed a smaller, two-by-two-foot Lite-Brite over an existing light table that will be donated to StoreySmith Pediatric Clinic in Falmouth, Maine. Before starting their project, they met with StoreySmith to assess the center’s needs.

“The entire process has really paralleled what OT practice can look like,” Pare said. “We have been able to communicate and collaborate with current practitioners in our field; engage in problem solving, reflexive thinking, and creativity; and, most importantly, meet the needs of children within the community.”

Corbett, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Health, Wellness, and Occupational Studies (now the B.S. in Occupational Studies) from UNE, said she was eager to participate in this year’s expo.

“I remember watching a live stream of the expo in an undergraduate class and thinking how amazing and cool the projects were,” she said. “I was so eager to participate in this wonderful event, and it was so rewarding to see our final project and reflect on watching the expo for the first time and thinking with an OT lens.”