Pediatric Powered Wheelchair Standing Devices: An Exploratory Study

For children who use a power wheelchair, a powered wheelchair standing device (PWSD) may be considered for daily use. A PWSD allows a child to electronically move between sitting and standing and can be driven in either position. Existing published PWSD research in pediatrics is limited to boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).(1, 2) While these studies provide some insights into PWSD use in boys with DMD, they do not reflect PWSD use in children with other conditions. The purpose of this exploratory study is to determine the feasibility of a research protocol exploring use of a PWSD in children who have neurodevelopmental conditions other than DMD.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Cerebral Palsy; Spinal Cord Injuries; Spinal Muscular Atrophy; Genetic Disease; Spina Bifida; Development Delay
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Power Wheelchair Standing Device

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 4
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Michigan
    • Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States, 49501
      • Grand Valley State University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 5 years to 17 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Is 5-17 years of age. NOTE: Participants must be under 18 for the duration of the study.
2. Diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental condition resulting in an inability to functionally ambulate.
3. Can safely assume and maintain a supported standing position
4. Has sufficient upper extremity and function to safely use a PWSD
5. Can communicate pain or discomfort through verbalization, vocalization, use of augmented communication, etc.
6. Can safely use the PWSD in areas of their home
7. Has at least one parent/caregiver who is able to converse in English and actively participate in a device-use education provided in English
8. The PerMobil PWSD can be set up to meet the child's specific needs
9. Medical Clearance to trial the PWSD
10. Participants must reside in Michigan

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Has a diagnosis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
2. Any reason that it would not be safe for the child to use a PWSD

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Power Wheelchair Standing Device User	Device: Power Wheelchair Standing Device; A power wheelchair standing device is a power wheelchair that allows a child to electronically move between sitting and standing. It can be driven in either position. The Permobil F5 Corpus VS is the specific power wheelchair standing device to be used in this study.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Participation in children	Does using a PWSD increase participation in children who have neurodevelopmental conditions other than DMD?	2 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Parental/caregiver perceptions	Does using a PWSD influence parental/caregiver perceptions of their child's emotional/behavioral status?	2 years
Children's perceptions	For children who are able to respond to questions and participate in an interview using either verbal or augmented communication, does using a PWSD influence their own perceptions of their emotional/behavioral status?	2 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Grand Valley State University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 12, 2021
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 1, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 1, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): November 11, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): September 15, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 9, 2025
• Last Verified: September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Mental Disorders; Wounds and Injuries; Neuromuscular Diseases; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Congenital Abnormalities; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Trauma, Nervous System; Brain Damage, Chronic; Spinal Cord Diseases; Nervous System Malformations; Neural Tube Defects; Motor Neuron Disease; Communication Disorders; Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Genetic Diseases, Inborn; Cerebral Palsy; Spinal Cord Injuries; Spinal Dysraphism; Muscular Atrophy, Spinal; Learning Disabilities
• Other Study ID Numbers: 22-052-H

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: The research team may share research data related to study outcomes from this study with other investigators. If this occurs, the data will not contain identifiable data.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: 2 years
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Contact PI
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: Yes
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No