Arm Optimize™ Program
Course Week 3
Function, Independence & Tool Usage
Turn Skills into Real-Life Success
In Week 3 we build on movement and coordination by applying skills to functional activities, increasing independence, and using tools and strategies to support success at home, school, and in the community.
- Apply skills to functional tasks
- Increase independence in daily activities
- Practice tool usage and adaptive strategies
- Build confidence and problem-solving
- Integrate skills into real-life environments
Skills Create Independence
Week 3 goal
Use skills, strategies, and tools to increase independence and participation in daily life.
HOME
Greater Independence
SCHOOL
Functional Participation
COMMUNITY
Real-World Success
TOOLS
Strategies for Lifelong Growth
Weekly live coaching
Live coaching: task analysis, adaptive equipment selection, and fading support.
Clinician guide
Clinician guide: Week 3 ADL and tool-use protocol with home carryover sheets.
Q&A recording
Q&A recording: school collaboration and choosing which ADL to target first.
Week 3 demonstration videos
Playback is available to course members. Locked cards show the focus, cues and takeaways only.
Clinical photoWeek 3 — Function & ADL Independence
Overhead Bilateral Dressing Ring
Two hands, overhead, in a real dressing pattern. Pulling a ring over the head rehearses shirts without the frustration of clothing.
Coaching cues
- Start the ring within easy reach and raise the demand once the pattern is smooth.
- Ask for both hands on the ring — no helper hand parking at the side.
- Let the child finish the last inch even if it is slow.
Key takeaways
- Rehearsing the pattern beats drilling the garment.
- Overhead bilateral reach is the gateway to dressing independence.
Playback, download and printing are available to course members.
Week 3 — Functional Task & Heavy Work / Sensory Integration
Heavy Shovel Work
A real chore that loads both arms, demands bilateral sequencing, and delivers heavy proprioceptive input the nervous system organizes around.
Coaching cues
- Two hands on the handle, one high and one low; swap the lead hand between loads.
- Load lightly at first — the sequence matters more than the weight.
- Use a real purpose: filling, moving, digging to a finish line.
Key takeaways
- Chores are therapy when they are graded well.
- Heavy work is both strengthening and regulating.
Playback, download and printing are available to course members.
Week 3 & 4 — Real-Life Independence / Personal Care
Washing Hair — Personal Care ADL
Overhead, sustained, bilateral, and unavoidably daily. Hair washing is one of the clearest tests that gains have reached real life.
Coaching cues
- Practise the pattern dry before adding water and soap.
- Allow the elbow to rest on the head — that support is a legitimate strategy.
- Fade your help from hand, to elbow, to verbal cue only.
Key takeaways
- Personal-care wins matter more to families than any measurement.
- Endurance in an overhead position is the limiting factor — train it directly.