I have clients that have increased oral secretions and need to use switches. Can the switches get wet? How do you handle this type of situation?
Answer
The first thing I would do is contact the vendor to see if there are waterproof switches available. I would then look at positioning. Could I position away from their mouth, maybe on their cheek? Could I mount it differently, vertically versus flat? I would contact the vendor to research the different switch types as well as mounting options.
Continued and its subsidiaries provide professional education authored by qualified Subject Matter Experts for continuing education purposes. These materials are intended for educational purposes and do not constitute medical advice or a substitute for individual clinical judgment. Continued is not a clinical healthcare provider; the licensed professional is solely responsible for ensuring that the application of any techniques or information presented is within their legal scope of practice and jurisdictional requirements.
Cindy Nankee, OTR/L, ATP
Cindy is an Assistive Technology Professional and a Registered Occupational Therapist with 30 years of school-based practice. Author of Switch Technology chapter in Handbook of Research on Human Cognition and Assistive Technology by Soonhwa Seok. Author of select modules in the Assistive Technology Internet Modules (ATIM) from Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI) on Computer Access, Mobile Device Access, Switch Access and Motor Aspects of Writing. Cindy presents at state, national and international conferences.
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