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The Smart Wheelchair: is it an appropriate mobility training tool for children with physical disabilities?
Sarah McGarry1, Lois Moir, Sonya Girdler
1Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Computing, Health and Science, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia. sarah.mcgarry@health.wa.gov.au
Insights
The Smart Wheelchair mobility training program improved driving skills and psychosocial outcomes for children with physical disabilities. Most children gained independence, and parents reported positive changes in confidence and motivation.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric rehabilitation
- Assistive technology
- Disability studies
Background:
- Children with physical disabilities often face significant limitations in independent mobility.
- Traditional mobility training may not fully address the potential for skill acquisition in this population.
- The Smart Wheelchair offers a novel approach to enhance motor learning and participation.
Observation:
- A 16-session Smart Wheelchair mobility training program was implemented with four children with physical disabilities.
- Data collection involved quantitative driving assessments and qualitative parent interviews.
- The study utilized a mixed-methods, multiple case study design.
Findings:
- Three out of four children achieved independence in at least three driving skills.
- One child demonstrated competence with verbal prompts.
- Mothers reported significant improvements in their child's confidence, motivation, and affect.
Implications:
- The Smart Wheelchair can reveal learning potential and recognize abilities in children with limited mobility.
- Therapists should consider the Smart Wheelchair as an effective intervention for enhancing participation.
- These findings support further research into the efficacy of the Smart Wheelchair for pediatric mobility training.
Purpose:
To describe the impact of a mobility training program using the Smart Wheelchair on the driving skills and psychosocial outcomes of children with physical disabilities.
Method:
A multiple case study design using mixed methods was used. Four children with physical disabilities were recruited through The Centre for Cerebral Palsy in Western Australia. The intervention was a 16 session Smart Wheelchair mobility training program. Data was collected using a quantitative driving skills assessment, field notes and qualitative parent interviews.
Results:
Three out of four children gained independence in at least three driving skills or more, whilst one child was competent with verbal prompts. Three out of four mothers reported positive changes in their child's confidence, motivation and affect.
Conclusions:
The Smart Wheelchair has the ability to uncover learning potential and facilitate the recognition of abilities in children previously excluded from access to independent mobility. Given the significant limitation that restrictions in mobility pose to participation for children with physical disabilities, therapists must begin to understand the effectiveness of interventions such as the Smart Wheelchair. The descriptive findings of this study allow for future, more rigorous research, to be conducted on the effectiveness of the Smart Wheelchair as a mobility training tool.
