DS was in a wheelchair for 3 months. Lifting gets old very fast plus cast adds a lot of weight plus you want them to exert themselves (no other exercise) so, look for a ground floor bedroom, consider renting a hospital bed to bed a right height for her to scoot herself in by self,, lay down a ramp so she can wheel herself. We used his kudsized beach chair in bathtub with the handheld for bathing.

We rented kid sized wheelchair. Much easier to get into car.

We bought games like the balls attached to paddles, baloons tied to wheelchair, fidgets, wiki sticks, puzzles and out in a sack attached to wheelchair. I posted a thread on activities in elementary school forum. A lot of good ideas.

There were some unexpected challenges. Like he could not wheel himself and buy lunch at cafeteria so we had to start packing him lunch. Like he did not enjoy recess anymore and I'd try to get to recess to play catch with him. But kids are very resilient and the time goes fasTer than you'd expect....

Anonymous wrote:Also, talk to the school about fire drills. During real emergencies and fire drills the are not used. Who will be responsible for helping your daughter out of the school. It should be a single, consistent person so that there is actual practice getting up and down the stairs.

Of course wheelchairs are used during fire drills. During certain drills, my DD shelters in place with administrators in a "safe room."

Also, talk to the school about fire drills. During real emergencies and fire drills the are not used. Who will be responsible for helping your daughter out of the school. It should be a single, consistent person so that there is actual practice getting up and down the stairs.

I would definitely ask the school to do an IEP for 'adapted PE'. My DD was unable to participate in PE/recess because of some internal injuries that took over 9 months to heal. We didn't realize how long it would take and it was incredibly difficult for her to go to PE (and recess) and just watch the other kids do their thing. The school should be provided 'adapted' PE for your DD. You also might consider signing her up for some classes through the rec center so she can stay active.

You might also think about have your home evaluated by an OT/PT/rehab specialist. We had that done for my FIL who was in a wheelchair for a while and the OT was able to provide a lot of suggestions for small changes that made things much easier - like installing a 'trapeze' type bar over the bed so FIL could more easily manuver himself around the bed independently. It also helped with transitioning between bed and chair.

I would get a bunch of card games and fun board games if you don’t already have some.
Also, do you have a friend that can teach her something like embroidery, cross stitch or knitting (I think knitting is the hardest of those threes) That’s a great solitary activity that can keep you busy while seated.
I was on bed rest for 3 months and I found that I eventually got bored with TV and reading. It’s nice to be able to switch things up.

it was probably the custodians who were moving the desks back