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The use of modified ride-on cars to maximize mobility and improve socialization-a group design
Hsiang-Han Huang1, Chia-Ling Chen2
1Department of Occupational Therapy and Graduate Institute of Behavioral Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Healthy Aging Research Center, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Joint Appointment with Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan.
Aim:
To examine the effects of ride-on car (ROC) training versus conventional therapy on mobility and social function in young children with disabilities in a hospital-based environment.
Methods And Procedures:
Twenty young children with disabilities, aged 1-3 years, were recruited. The treatment group (n=10) received ROC training of 2h/session, 2 sessions/week for a total of 9 weeks in the hospital environment. The control group (n=10) received conventional therapy alone. Assessments included the Chinese version of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory and the Parenting Stress Index.
Outcomes And Results:
After a 9-week intervention, the treatment group showed improvements in mobility and social function, whereas the control group showed improvements in social function alone. Four children in the treatment group had clinically meaningful changes in mobility and 3 in social function, as compared to 2 and 1, respectively, in the control group.
Conclusions And Implications:
This is the first group study that demonstrated the potential benefits of ROC training on mobility and social function in young children with disabilities in the hospital environment. Future studies should include a larger sample size to detect any differences between ROC training and conventional therapy.
