Camp Hand to Hands makes therapy fun for kids with disabilities

Physical and occupational therapy can be challenging for children. But it is important for a child with disabilities. And it needs to be engaging and motivating for a kid who must participate in therapy. 

Camp Hand to Hands has found a way not only to make therapy fun for children with certain upper-body weaknesses, but also to create a setting where they can refine their motor skills and boost their strengths – all in the company of peers and a team of enthusiastic therapists and therapy students. 

“Camp Hand to Hands is a great place for children to participate in activities, interact with their peers, make friends and refine their gross and small motor skills,” says Liz Humanitzki, the camp director and a research occupational therapist in MUSC’s College of Health Professions. “It’s also one more way for occupational and physical therapy students to get hands-on experience working with pediatric patients.”

Designed for school-age kids 4 to 8 with cerebral palsy, brain injury or a stroke, the five-day camp, held on the MUSC downtown campus, specializes in constraint-induced movement therapy. CIMT encourages children to use their upper body, specifically the weaker side, to perform everyday tasks, such as getting dressed and putting on their shoes. 

Traditionally, CIMT involves putting a child’s stronger arm in a cast to encourage use of the weaker hand. Camp Hand to Hands uses puppets instead. These are no ordinary puppets. They’re farm animals, dinosaurs, dogs, and superheroes and contain a splint for support. Each child wears one on the weaker hand throughout the six-hour day.

 

“We use what will motivate the kids,” Humanitzki says. “It’s not necessarily enjoyable for them to have their stronger hand taken away from them. They keep the same puppet all week. We have them build puppet houses where they put the puppet to sleep when they leave for the day and wake them up when they come in the next morning.” 

Throughout the day, the children participate in themed activities that develop muscular strength and improve motor skills. “Typically, all these kids were born with this condition, and since they don’t have prior function, they’re working on building skills,” Humanitzki says.

 A highlight is the end of each day, when they take turns whacking a candy-filled pinata with a stick. “Swinging at the pinata builds strength, and crawling on the floor to pick up the candy is a sweet way to refine their motor skills.” 

Started in 2001, the camp is an elective for second-year OT and third-year PT students, who develop the daily themes and plan all the activities. “The camp is an excellent way for the students to learn how to motivate and work with children with disabilities and to be part of an interprofessional team,” Humanitzki says. 

 

Ashtan Goodwin, an OT student who will graduate with her doctorate in 2026, agrees. “Camp Hand to Hands reminded me of why I chose to pursue occupational therapy,” she says. “Being able to provide opportunities of inclusivity to children who have limited experiences of this was something I wasn’t going to miss. Educationwise, I was able to execute what I had been learning thus far. I learned a lot about how to engage and form rapport with my future patients.”

Hannah Swift, who will earn her doctorate in physical therapy in May 2025, says working with the children taught her about how to redirect and instill confidence in kids. “They’re very resilient and very motivated; you just have to get them the tools and they can do it. It was fun and very gratifying to watch them having a good time while working on their skills.”

This year marks the first time that Camp Hand to Hands has operated since the pandemic, and Humanitzki, who is in her first year of running the camp, says she’s optimistic about its future and prospects for growth. 

 “We’re excited to be back and functioning and serving kids in the community, and I feel fortunate to have taken over at such an important time,” she says. “Thanks to funding from the Coastal Community Foundation, the MUSC Foundation and the Camden Scott Meyer Fund, the camp is free to participants. And the fact that it takes place just before school starts is an extra boost for the kids. This year, eight kids participated, and we’re hoping to expand the number next year.”