Effects of Power Mobility on Young Children With Severe Motor Impairments

University of Oklahoma (OU)

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 2

Conditions: Other Central Nervous System or Musculoskeletal Disorders; Cerebral Palsy; Arthrogryposis; Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Treatments: Other: Power mobility

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01028833

2480

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose this study is to determine the effects of power mobility on the development and function of young children of young children whose severe physical disabilities limit their exploratory behaviors and may unnecessarily restrict their cognitive, communication, and social-emotional development.

Enrollment: 41 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 14 to 30 months old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Must be between 14- and 30-months of age
• Must have clinical diagnosis of a motor impairment that prevents functional independent mobility
• Must have adequate vision and hearing to use power mobility device safely
• Must have cognitive abilities equivalent to a 12-month level or alertness and interest in the environment that suggests a trial of power mobility is warranted

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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41 participants in 2 patient groups

Power mobility

Experimental group

Description:

Intervention included provision of power wheelchair and power mobility training program. Project staff will use structured power mobility training program to teach the children to use the power mobility devices. Project staff will schedule 1-hour sessions with each family 3 times per week for the first month of the project and will decrease in the following manner as the child becomes proficient and develops basic wheelchair maneuvering skills: two one-hour session per week for 4 weeks; one one-hour session per week for 4 weeks; two one-hour sessions per month for 4 weeks; one one-hour session per month for the remainder of the study.

Treatment:

Other: Power mobility

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Children in the control group will not receive any additional intervention, but will continue to receive the early intervention or other services they were receiving prior to enrollment in this study.