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The Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (M.S.O.T.) program at the University of New England brought creativity to life at its annual Pediatric Adaptive Projects Expo on Tuesday, April 15, in Arthur P. Girard Innovation Hall on 51����’s Portland Campus for the Health Sciences.

A signature event of the program, the Expo featured more than 25 adaptive projects designed and built by first-year graduate occupational therapy (OT) students from the Class of 2026 to support children and families navigating sensory processing differences, neurodevelopmental conditions, and motor skill development. Each interactive project — from sensory tools and climbing structures to a virtual Minecraft therapy adventure — was developed in partnership with local clinicians or community organizations and will be donated to families and OT practices following the event.

(Left): A child demonstrates a “therapeutic Minecraft adventure” featuring virtual reality, created by student Jared Benoit; (Right): Meghan LaPlante and Erin Quinty showcase their sensory-motor footprint pathway designed to introduce children to different walking surfaces.

“All of the projects on display serve a real-world purpose — they are designed to support the unique needs of individual children while enabling our students to app