Helping a Child with a Disability With Everyday Activities in Grand Rapids, MI

If you’re raising a child with a disability in Grand Rapids, everyday routines like getting dressed, taking a bath, or eating meals can become powerful tools for supporting their development. These daily activities help build communication, movement, and independence—while also giving you time to bond and have fun together.

Children learn rapidly in the first three years of life, so it’s helpful to start early. Local pediatric specialists at Spectrum Health, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, Metro Health, and Mercy Health often encourage families to use everyday activities as part of a child’s developmental support plan.

Understanding How Your Child Communicates

Children with disabilities may communicate in ways that are different from other kids their age. They often use unique facial expressions, sounds, and body movements to share what they want or how they feel.

For example, your child might:

  • Use their eyes to “point” to a person, toy, or object
  • Smile, frown, or pout to show how they feel
  • Turn their head away to say “no”
  • Babble, laugh, cry, or make other sounds with different meanings

Nearly every sound, look, and movement your child makes is meaningful. In a busy household—especially during long Grand Rapids winters when you’re indoors more—it’s important to slow down and pay attention to these signals.

Tips to Support Communication

It can take time and patience to figure out what your child is trying to tell you. Over time, you’ll become the expert on your child’s unique communication style.

Make Communication Fun

You can help your child communicate by making interactions playful and engaging:

  • Use bright colors and noisy or textured toys to attract attention
  • Play simple games like peek-a-boo or “copycat” with sounds and faces
  • Use favorite objects from around your home—spoons, scarves, cups, or soft balls
  • Talk, sing, or hum during daily routines like dressing, bathing, or feeding

In Grand Rapids, pediatric therapists (speech, occupational, and physical therapists) at local hospitals and clinics can show you specific strategies tailored to your child’s needs.

How to Respond to Your Child

Responding consistently helps your child feel heard and encourages them to communicate more:

  • Act confidently when you understand what they want
  • Respond to all of your child’s sounds and actions, not just words
  • Place yourself face-to-face and at your child’s eye level
  • Imitate any sounds your child makes
  • Copy any words they say and gently expand them (e.g., child: “ball”; you: “big ball”)
  • Keep your sentences short and simple

Supporting Movement During Everyday Activities

Many children with disabilities need extra support to build strength, balance, and coordination. Everyday tasks—especially during indoor months in West Michigan’s cold, snowy winters—are great opportunities to practice movement safely.

Before trying new positions or activities, talk with your child’s healthcare team in Grand Rapids. Your pediatrician, physical therapist, or occupational therapist can recommend safe positions and movements based on your child’s specific condition.

Holding and Carrying Your Child

How you hold your child can support their strength and independence:

  • Hold your child’s body close to you, but let their arms and legs move freely
  • Make a “chair” with your arms so they can sit upright and look around
  • Change the side you carry them on to work different muscles
  • Give them time to reach for toys or touch objects while you’re holding them

Making Getting Dressed Easier

Dressing can be challenging if your child has muscle stiffness, low muscle tone, or balance difficulties. Trying different positions can make it easier and more comfortable:

You can try:

  • Lying your child on their back, side, or stomach
  • Sitting them on a chair with good back support
  • Sitting them on your lap, facing you or facing forward
  • Standing them between your legs (if they are able), so you can support their balance

For children with stiff legs, dressing and diaper changes can be difficult. You can:

  • Place a small pillow under their head for comfort and better positioning
  • Gently bend their knees to help separate their legs
  • Move slowly and talk to your child about what you’re doing

If you’re unsure what’s safe, ask your child’s physical or occupational therapist at Spectrum Health, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, Metro Health, or Mercy Health for a demonstration.

Using Different Positions to Build Strength

Changing your child’s position throughout the day helps build strength, flexibility, and body awareness. This is especially helpful during long indoor periods in Grand Rapids’ winter and early spring.

Here are some common positions and how they help:

  • Lying on their side

    • Encourages your child to use both hands and feet
    • Makes it easier to reach for toys

  • Lying on their stomach (tummy time)

    • Strengthens back, neck, and arm muscles
    • Helps prepare for crawling and sitting
    • Always supervise your child closely during tummy time

  • Sitting on the floor with legs straight

    • Stretches leg muscles
    • Encourages reaching forward and to the sides

  • Sitting on a chair

    • Helps develop upper body strength and posture
    • Make sure their feet are flat on the floor or on a footrest for support

Your child’s therapy team in Grand Rapids can show you how long to use each position and how to adapt them for your home—whether you live in an apartment downtown or a house in Kentwood, Wyoming, or Walker.

Encouraging Standing and Movement

Regular standing and movement are important for:

  • Muscle strength
  • Healthy bones
  • Flexible joints
  • Circulation and digestion

This is true year-round, but especially important in Michigan, where kids may be less active during cold and icy months.

You can encourage movement by:

  • Placing a favorite toy just out of reach to motivate rolling, crawling, or walking
  • Using furniture (like a sturdy couch) for supported standing, if safe
  • Playing on soft surfaces like carpet or foam mats
  • Turning daily routines (like getting dressed or diaper changes) into mini movement sessions

If your child cannot stand independently, their physical therapist may recommend:

  • A standing frame or stander to support safe, upright positioning
  • Braces or orthotics to support ankles and feet
  • Adaptive equipment for home and school

These devices are often available through medical equipment providers in West Michigan, with prescriptions from your child’s specialist.

Local Support Services for Children With Disabilities in Grand Rapids

Families in Grand Rapids have access to a range of services to support children with disabilities or developmental delays—from birth until school age and beyond.

Medical and Therapy Support

  • Your GP (primary care doctor)

    • First point of contact for concerns about development or behavior
    • Can provide referrals to specialists and therapists

  • Your pediatrician

    • Monitors growth and development
    • Coordinates care with therapists and specialists

  • Local hospitals and health systems

    • Spectrum Health (Corewell Health) – pediatric specialists, therapy services, developmental clinics
    • Trinity Health Grand Rapids – pediatric care, rehabilitation, and specialty clinics
    • Metro Health – University of Michigan Health – pediatric and rehabilitation services
    • Mercy Health – pediatric care and therapy services

These providers can help connect you with occupational, physical, and speech therapists who specialize in working with children with disabilities.

Early Intervention and Community Resources

Early support can make a meaningful difference in your child’s development. In the Grand Rapids area, you can explore:

  • Early On® Michigan

    • Statewide early intervention program for children from birth to age 3 with developmental delays or disabilities
    • Provides in-home or community-based services such as therapy, developmental specialists, and family support

  • Kent County Health Department

    • Offers information on early childhood development, immunizations, and local programs
    • Can guide you to community resources for children with special healthcare needs

  • Grand Rapids Public Health and local school districts

    • Provide early childhood special education services for children age 3 and older
    • May offer preschool programs, evaluations, and support services

  • Local pediatric therapy clinics

    • Offer physical, occupational, and speech therapy
    • Some provide group classes, parent training, and home exercise programs

When to Ask for Help

Consider reaching out for professional support if you are:

  • Unsure how to safely position or move your child
  • Concerned about your child’s development, movement, or communication
  • Feeling overwhelmed by daily care routines
  • Noticing changes in your child’s comfort, sleep, or behavior

You can start by contacting:

  • Your child’s GP or pediatrician in Grand Rapids
  • A pediatric therapist (physical, occupational, or speech)
  • Early On® Michigan for early intervention services
  • Kent County Health Department or Grand Rapids Public Health for local resource information

Making Everyday Life Work for Your Child and Family

Everyday activities—dressing, bathing, feeding, playtime, and even diaper changes—can become part of your child’s developmental support plan. With guidance from Grand Rapids healthcare providers and early intervention services, you can:

  • Encourage communication through play and daily routines
  • Support movement and strength with simple position changes
  • Adapt tasks to fit your child’s abilities and comfort
  • Build confidence in caring for your child at home

You know your child best. By combining your knowledge with support from local pediatric specialists and community resources in Grand Rapids, MI, you can help your child grow, learn, and participate in family life as fully as possible.