Cognitive predictors of young children's readiness for powered mobility

Abstract

Independent mobility in early childhood has been associated with the development of various cognitive and psychosocial skills. However, children with physical disabilities are not always able to move independently and may be at risk for delays in these areas. Early provision of powered mobility can offer young children an opportunity for independent mobility. Despite this, there is little information to help determine when a young child has the cognitive skills necessary to operate a powered wheelchair safely. This current research aims to identify these skills. A cognitive assessment battery and a wheelchair mobility training and assessment program were developed. Twenty-six children with physical disabilities between the ages of 20 and 36 months were evaluated on the cognitive assessment and participated in the wheelchair training and assessment program. A stepwise regression analysis was used to determine which of the cognitive skills predicted wheelchair mobility performance. The cognitive domains of spatial relations and problem solving were found to be significant and accounted for 57% of the variance in wheelchair skills. Developmental cut-off points on these scales as they relate to wheelchair skills are presented and clinical applications are discussed.

Assessment of learning powered mobility use—Applying grounded theory to occupational performance

“…The ALP facilitating strategies are grounded by thick, rich descriptors to enable appropriate facilitation. The ALP instrument is not about "pass" or "fail" [11] or scoring individual prerequisite skills [8][9]; rather, it is about recognizing how well-attuned practice can develop the abilities necessary for skilled and safe driving [7].…”

“…Traditionally, powered mobility instruments focus on skills and/or developmental domains and readiness for powered mobility provision [6][7]. As an example, the Pediatric Powered Wheelchair Screening Test was constructed from established developmental criteria and theoretical ideas and then validated with children with physical disabilities [8][9]. This instrument assesses readiness for powered mobility and consists of 34 items across five Piagetian-based skill domains to predict powered wheelchair driving ability.…”

Factors Associated with Provision of Wheelchairs in Older Adults

“…has indicated cognitive function as a significant predictor for assessing the readiness of children with cerebral palsy to transition to using power mobility (Tefft, Guerette, & Furumasu, 1999). Likewise, there exists a positive correlation between cognitive function and power wheelchair use in older adults (Cullen, O'Neill, & Eavns, 2008).…”

RESNA Position on the Application of Power Wheelchairs for Pediatric Users

“…Screening Test (Tefft, Guerette, & Furumasu, 1999) can be used to determine cognitive developmental age. To use a power wheelchair functionally, a child must demonstrate the ability to use an access method (i.e., joystick or switches) and show that she or he has the necessary cognitive, sensorimotor, and coping abilities.…”