no commercially available power wheelchairs for kids under 3

[Emma]

It's hard for kids who feel like they're left behind. And for those who aren't extremely mobile, they might feel it a little too often.

Dr. James Galloway of the University of Delaware started a project to ensure children who have disabilities that affect their mobility don't have to experience that feeling of being unable to keep up.

Xander is a regular, happy kid who has lots of friends in class. But when he gets outside, it's hard for him to keep up with his buddies because Xander has limited mobility. And when you're a kid, not being able to keep up is a bummer!
Did you know that there are no commercially available power wheelchairs for children under 3 years old? I didn't. That means Xander didn't have a lot of options.

But Dr. Galloway didn't just accept that there's nothing to aid little kids' mobility. Nope. He set out to fix it. And guess what? He did.
He hit up the toy store, bought a bunch of Power Wheels, and took them from toys to game-changers.
Watch what he accomplished — and see what a difference it's making for so many kids.

www.upworthy.com/it-only-took-1-brilliant-scientist-to-create-the-coolest-toy-ever-for-this-little-kid?c=ufb0

Thoughts?

[rebel6842]

Those are cool for PT-type purposes, but once they get school-age, I could see a problem. Good effort, and a net win, though

[gen]

That's pretty cool but I'd be careful about handing them out to everyone without taking into account what mobility they already have. If they rely on the chair too much they could end up in it forever, muscles atrophy faster than you'd expect when you don't use them.

[darthoso]

I was put into a "Hot Wheels" themed wheelchair at the age of 2...

Jan 14, 2015 2:40:51 GMT -5 gen said:

That's pretty cool but I'd be careful about handing them out to everyone without taking into account what mobility they already have. If they rely on the chair too much they could end up in it forever, muscles atrophy faster than you'd expect when you don't use them.

Gotta disagree. In middle and high school there was a girl with (I think) CP, she was in a manual chair but had to be pushed by her aide (middle aged school paraprofessional) everywhere. In theory she could drive herself but it was very slow and exhausting for her. We had the same in school Physical Therapists they'd vent to me sometimes about how she needed a power chair but her parents refused citing "she doesn't need one". Because her aide had to push her everywhere, she had no social life in school or independence and eventually dropped out due to health issues and depression. She was a smart girl with significantly more physical abilities than me, her parents really held her back.

Parents of kids with disabilities gotta drill an independent spirit into their kids. Yes it might speed up atrophy but that's inevitable, and when it happens you need that independent spirit to adapt.

[lucretia]

Early mobility is crucial for all development, not just physical. Kids who are able to get themselves around (and into trouble) have far more overall success in life.

Getting a chair earlier rather than later is key for very young kids to develop a sense of autonomy.

[gen]

Jan 14, 2015 3:54:19 GMT -5 darthoso said:

I was put into a "Hot Wheels" themed wheelchair at the age of 2...

Jan 14, 2015 2:40:51 GMT -5 gen said:

That's pretty cool but I'd be careful about handing them out to everyone without taking into account what mobility they already have. If they rely on the chair too much they could end up in it forever, muscles atrophy faster than you'd expect when you don't use them.

Gotta disagree. In middle and high school there was a girl with (I think) CP, she was in a manual chair but had to be pushed by her aide (middle aged school paraprofessional) everywhere. In theory she could drive herself but it was very slow and exhausting for her. We had the same in school Physical Therapists they'd vent to me sometimes about how she needed a power chair but her parents refused citing "she doesn't need one". Because her aide had to push her everywhere, she had no social life in school or independence and eventually dropped out due to health issues and depression. She was a smart girl with significantly more physical abilities than me, her parents really held her back.

Parents of kids with disabilities gotta drill an independent spirit into their kids. Yes it might speed up atrophy but that's inevitable, and when it happens you need that independent spirit to adapt.

I simply said caution needed to be exercised before providing a powered chair, a consultation with a physiotherapist perhaps, especially in the case where you're dealing with the very early years of development.

I speak from personal experience myself as when I changed over to a powered wheelchair it really did halt and reverse whatever muscle development I'd made up until then. The chair allowed me to do a lot of things I'd previously never dreamed of, but at the cost of my legs.

[cooks]

I used all sorts of toys as a small child. Some were motorized, some were not. With SMA, inhibiting mobility for the sake of preserving muscle function doesn't make sense. It's a fantasy to think that slightly improved physical strength will translate into greater independence later in life. Strength will inevitably deteriorate leaving you to rely on other people. Social awareness and communication skills are therefore far more important, things that can only properly develop with fully independent mobility.

With that said, yes, always consult a PT. Still, be aware that many of them (in my opinion) wrongly attempt to normalize the disabled body without considering the broader functional implications.

[happyface2013]

I just hope he remember not to knock down his peers too much as they get bigger

[superman]

Thank you enma for sharing this wonderful story. It can be hard for kids to watch other kids enjoy

[PacMan]

I don’t know what its like over in the US but over here in the UK for as long as I can remember there as always been electric wheelchairs for kids. The problem I feel about them are even though I’m not a parent but if I was I’d be very concerned if my child was under 5 and using one. No matter how slow the chair might be a child is never going to be able to grasp the same dangerous as an adult. I’d be afraid of them tipping the chair.

Anyway, just wanted to post a link to a wee chair I know of over here called the ‘Wizzybug’. Very cute bright wee chair just right for kids.

www.designability.org.uk/product/wizzybug/

[rebel6842]

Feb 24, 2015 15:44:50 GMT -5 PacMan said:

I don’t know what its like over in the US but over here in the UK for as long as I can remember there as always been electric wheelchairs for kids. The problem I feel about them are even though I’m not a parent but if I was I’d be very concerned if my child was under 5 and using one. No matter how slow the chair might be a child is never going to be able to grasp the same dangerous as an adult. I’d be afraid of them tipping the chair.

Anyway, just wanted to post a link to a wee chair I know of over here called the ‘Wizzybug’. Very cute bright wee chair just right for kids.

www.designability.org.uk/product/wizzybug/

Cute commercial-I don't think there's a significant chance of the chair tipping, because of its wide base.  Though, I would be really careful about having those for children under 3

One more thing, and this may be just a language difference-but calling your refurbishment idea (a great one) a scheme might not be a good idea...

[Deleted]

It's just a more British dialect.