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Motorized wheelchair driving by disabled children
Insights
Young children with physical disabilities can learn to control motorized wheelchairs. This early powered mobility can help them achieve gross motor milestones.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Rehabilitation
- Assistive Technology
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Early gross motor development is crucial for children.
- Physical disabilities can impede achieving motor milestones.
- Powered mobility devices offer potential for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if children under 4 years with physical disabilities can learn to control motorized wheelchairs.
- To assess the feasibility and timeline of acquiring driving skills in young children.
Main Methods:
- Study included 13 children (20-37 months) with physical disabilities and normal intelligence.
- Children used motorized wheelchairs with adaptive seating.
- Parents introduced wheelchairs at home without formal training; progress tracked via logs and hour meters.
Main Results:
- 12 of 13 children acquired 7 driving skills within a mean of 34.4 cumulative hours.
- Skills were learned over an average of 16.3 days, with actual movement averaging 8.1 hours.
- Children as young as 24 months demonstrated skill acquisition, with initial skills often being start-stop and circling.
Conclusions:
- Motorized wheelchair operation is achievable for physically disabled children from 24 months.
- Early powered mobility is a valuable rehabilitative intervention for promoting gross motor development.
- This intervention supports approximating normal motor milestones in young children with disabilities.
Abstract:
Thirteen children with physical disabilities, normal intelligence and stable family situations were studied to learn whether children under age 4 years could learn competent control of a motorized wheelchair. Their mean age was 31.3 months (range 20 to 37 months). There were six girls and seven boys. Each child required adaptive seating to manipulate the control stick in a conventional motorized wheelchair. Without specific training instructions, parents introduced the wheelchairs under pleasant circumstances at home. Daily logs and engine-hour-meters indicate that 12 children learned seven pre-established driving skills within a mean cumulative period of 34.4 hours (range 6.6 to 168 hours) distributed over an average 16.3 days (range 3 to 50 days). Actual cumulative wheelchair movement averaged 8.1 hours (range 1.7 to 26.1 hours). All learned a cluster of four to five skills over a one to five day period. Start-stop and circling were the two initial skills in all but one case. In four children, the first skill appeared after a latent period of 5, 6, 12 and 43 days. Children as young as 24 months can learn to drive motorized wheelchairs. Because of the theoretical importance of approximating normal gross motor milestones, powered mobility should be considered an early rehabilitative intervention for physically disabled children.