Effect of Power Wheelchairs on the Development and Function of Young Children With Severe Physical Disabilities

Learning Early Travel Skills: Effects of Power Mobility on the Development of Young Children With Severe Motor Impairments

Self-produced locomotion often is limited in children with cerebral palsy and other conditions that cause severe motor impairments. As a result, these children may be at risk for secondary impairments in spatial cognition, communication, social development, and other domains influenced by independent mobility. To compensate, power mobility has increasingly been advocated for young children with severe motor impairments. The study hypotheses were:

1. Children with severe disabilities that prevent independent locomotion who learn to use power mobility devices when they are 14- to 30-months-of-age will have greater communication, social, and cognitive development over a 12-month period, and will demonstrate more competent coping skills than children with the same characteristics who do not use power mobility.
2. Parents of children who use power mobility will view it as a positive influence on their children's lives, and will perceive their children's development to be more mature than the parents of children who do not use power mobility will perceive their children's development.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Cerebral Palsy; Child, Preschool
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Power wheelchair; Other: No power wheelchairs

Detailed Description

More extensive description is not desired.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 34
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Oklahoma
    • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, 78104
      • University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 1 year to 2 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 14 to 30 months
• Motor impairment that prevents functional independent mobility
• Vision and hearing adequate to use a power mobility device safely.
• Cognitive abilities assessed to be at least equivalent to a 12-month level or alertness and interest in the environment that suggests a trial of power mobility is warranted.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: Control group	Other: No power wheelchairs; Children in the control group did not use power wheelchairs. They continued to receive their usual early intervention services.
Experimental: Power wheelchair	Other: Power wheelchair; Children used power wheelchairs for one year. They continued to receive their usual early intervention services.; Other Names: Invacare Power Tiger wheelchairs

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory	Items measure mobility, self-care, and social function using a 2-point scale (0 = unable or limited ability; 1 = capable in most situations). Items measure caregiver assistance on a 6-point scale (0 = total assistance; 5 = independent). We used the change in scaled scores in each area and total scores for analyses. Worst possible scaled score is 0 and the best possible score is 100.	Baseline and 12 months
Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI)	Items measure adaptive, cognitive, communication, motor, and personal-social development using 3-point ordinal scales (0 = does not complete; 1 = partially completes; 2 = completes item). We used change in age equivalent scores for each area and the total scores for analyses. The worst possible scores are 0 months age equivalent and the best possible scores are 95 months age equivalent.	Baseline and 12 months
Early Coping Inventory	We used the reactive and self-initiated behavior scales. We used change in raw scores for analyses. The worst possible raw score for each scale is 16 and the best possible score is 80.	Baseline and 12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Oklahoma
• Collaborators: U.S. Department of Education
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Irene R McEwen, PT, PhD, University of Oklahoma

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Mockler SR, McEwen IR, Jones MA. Retrospective Analysis of Predictors of Proficient Power Mobility in Young Children With Severe Motor Impairments. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2017 Oct;98(10):2034-2041. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2017.05.028. Epub 2017 Jul 5.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: June 1, 2002
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2004
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2004

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 19, 2009
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 3, 2010
• First Posted (Estimate): May 4, 2010

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): December 5, 2016
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 24, 2016
• Last Verified: October 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: cerebral palsy; wheelchair; disabled children
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Brain Damage, Chronic; Cerebral Palsy
• Other Study ID Numbers: 07956; USDE #R305T010757 (Other Grant/Funding Number: U.S. Department of Education)