Using powered mobility as a therapeutic intervention in infants and children with disabilities: Lessons learned from studying typically developing infants aged 3-12 months

E-poster, 2-minute presentation. ABSTRACT: Background: A study of typically developing infants testing joystick-operated powered wheelchair was part of the Driving to Learn project. The original aim was to find a pattern in achievements among participants with profound cognitive disabilities by comparing with young infants. Method: Re-analysis of video-data collected with typically developing infants testing powered mobility. The infants’ changes in behaviours were compared to current scientific knowledge of infant development. The video-data covered 40 tests with 17 infants, 3-12 months old, who made one test/month (15-30 minutes), at up to six occasions. Results: Comparisons with literature showed that experience of self-controlled mobility developed understanding of cause effect – act on joystick makes the powered wheelchair move – at an earlier age than expected, for some infants already at 3-4 months. Wakefulness and exploratory behaviour increased – showing in use of hand/s to touch surfaces and grasp things. The ability to change position in space focussed the infants’ attention on relationships in the physical and social environment. Their perception and understanding of self, tool and situation increased, which encouraged further explorations. Up to the age of 7-8 months infants stayed engaged in the situation longer than expected. Conclusion: The findings showed unexpected developmental achievements in typically developing infants who got the opportunity to explore joystick-use and self-controlled locomotion in a powered wheelchair. Children with disabilities follow similar developmental trajectories as typically developing infants, but at different paces. Therefore, the findings support using powered mobility as an early therapeutic intervention for infants and children with disabilities.