DISABILITY & PEDIATRIC HOME MODIFICATIONS
Disability Home Modification Assessment for Children and Adults
A disability home modification assessment looks at how your child or loved one actually lives in the home, then maps out changes that make daily care safer and easier, now and as needs change. I bring 27 years of occupational therapy experience, much of it with children who have significant physical and developmental needs. I assess and recommend only; I don’t sell equipment or perform installations.
Families and Individuals I Serve
Children with Physical Disabilities
Accessible bathing, safe transfers, entry access, and a layout that keeps working as your child grows.
Children with Developmental or Behavioral Needs
Practical solutions for wandering, elopement, nighttime safety, and behavioral challenges at home.
Adults with Lifelong Disabilities
Support for young adults and adults who want to live as independently as possible, with family or on their own.
Adults with a New Disability
Guidance after an accident, injury, stroke, or illness changes what someone can safely do at home.
Planning for a Child Who Will Grow
Lifting a toddler into the tub is manageable. Lifting a 120-pound teenager is not, and many parents reach that point before they’ve made a plan. Because I spent decades as a school-based OT, I’ve seen how children’s bodies, equipment, and care needs change over the years. I look at transfers, bathing, bedroom setup, and entry access with your child’s future size and abilities in mind, so you invest once in changes that last.
Accessible Bathing and Transfers
From roll-in showers to space for a bath lift and caregiver positioning, bathing is often the first area families need help with. I recommend options that protect your child’s dignity and your back.
Getting In and Out of the House
Steps, thresholds, and narrow doors become serious obstacles with a wheelchair or gait trainer. I assess the route from the driveway or garage and recommend ramps, entry changes, or doorway modifications.
Behavioral Safety: Elopement, Wandering, and Nighttime Concerns
Some of the most urgent calls I receive involve safety rather than access. A child who bolts out the door, climbs fences, or wakes at night and gets into danger needs a home designed around that behavior. I study when and how incidents happen, then recommend secure fencing, door and window strategies, and nighttime safety solutions that fit your family’s routine.
Adjusting the Home After an Accident, Stroke, or Injury
When a sudden change in ability brings someone home, the house that worked last month can be full of barriers. I assess what your loved one can do today, how recovery may change that, and what the home needs to support the months ahead.
Guidance Through the Indiana Medicaid Waiver Process
Many of my clients come through Indiana Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers, typically referred by their waiver case manager. I’ve provided waiver assessments since 2023, so I understand the documentation the state requires and can help your family know what to expect at each stage.
Preparing for Your Home Visit
Who Should Attend
Your child or loved one, along with parents, family members, and any caregivers or aides who help with bathing, transfers, or supervision. If your waiver case manager would like to join, they’re welcome.
Helpful Information to Gather
Diagnoses, current and planned mobility equipment (wheelchair, walker, stander, lift), therapy recommendations you’ve received, and examples of specific safety incidents or daily struggles.
How the Visit Unfolds
We’ll talk through your routines, then I’ll observe the moments that are hardest: bath time, getting to the car, bedtime, or the door your child keeps trying to open. I’ll share what I notice along the way.
Your Recommendations Report
You’ll receive a written report of specific modifications to share with your case manager, contractor, or vendor. Questions afterward? Call me directly.
How I’ve Helped Families Like Yours
Keeping Siblings Safe at Night
A family reached out through the Medicaid waiver program because their son was waking in the middle of the night and becoming aggressive with his sleeping siblings. I assessed the home and the family’s nighttime routine, then problem-solved modifications to keep everyone safer after dark.
Secure Fencing for a Child Who Elopes
Through the waiver program, I assess homes for families whose children wander or run from the house. I recommend secure fencing and related modifications so parents can let their child play outside without fearing every unlatched gate.
Disability Home Modification FAQs
What makes an occupational therapist different from a contractor doing an assessment?
A contractor evaluates the structure; an occupational therapist evaluates the person within it. I understand how conditions such as cerebral palsy, MS, or stroke affect movement over time, how transfers are safely performed, and what will hold up as needs change. That prevents costly changes that don’t fit or must be redone.
Can you plan for a child who is still growing?
Yes, it’s one of the most important parts of my work. I consider your child’s expected growth, changing equipment, and how caregiving will shift as they get bigger and heavier, so recommendations hold up for years rather than months.
Is the assessment covered by my child’s Medicaid waiver?
Home modification assessments are frequently covered through Indiana Medicaid HCBS waivers. Coverage depends on your specific waiver, so talk with your case manager, who typically arranges the referral. Families without a waiver can choose a private-pay package.
Do you help adults with a new disability, not just children?
Absolutely. I work with adults whose abilities changed suddenly because of an accident, injury, stroke, or illness, as well as adults with lifelong disabilities who want to live as independently as possible.
Disability & Pediatric Assessments in Your Community
Find local details for families in Carmel, Indianapolis, Fishers, Noblesville, and Westfield:
Build a Home That Grows with Your Family
Tell me what your days look like right now. Together, we’ll create a plan for a safer home that’s ready for what comes next.