Page 21 - Mobility Management, June 2017

Pediatric Series
Alternative
Drive Controls
Should It Be Switches or Proportional Controls for Kids? Plus: Going Rogue with Wild Thing
By Laurie Watanabe
umans are meant to be independently mobile, and a great deal of our learning and development
depends on it. That truth can be challenging for children with mobility impairments. But even chil- dren with no independent mobility experience can demonstrate
the ability to learn it, often with astonishing quickness.
That poses a key question to clinicians and ATPs working with
kids: How do you decide on the best driving controls for first- time power wheelchair users?
Jay Doherty, OTR, ATP/SMS, Senior Clinical Education
Manager, East Coast, Quantum Rehab, has worked with young children experiencing independent mobility for the first time. While a child’s physical abilities factor into the equation, Doherty said they’re not the only considerations — far from it. So what other criteria impact the decision-making process?
“I typically will start by looking at what consistent movements the child has before I decide on an input device/drive control,” he said. “The device being proportional or switched will be directly influenced by what movements the child can control consistently throughout the day. Also, the child’s understanding of cause and
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