NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ930338
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 9
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1040-0435
EISSN: N/A
RESNA Position on the Application of Power Wheelchairs for Pediatric Users
Rosen, Lauren; Arva, Julianna; Furumasu, Jan; Harris, Michele; Lange, Michelle L.; McCarthy, Elisabeth; Kermoian, Rosanne; Pinkerton, Heather; Plummer, Teresa; Roos, Jodi; Sabet, Andrina; Vander Schaaf, Paula; Wonsettler, Terri
Assistive Technology, v21 n4 p218-226 2009
This document, approved by the Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) Board of Directors in March 2007, shares typical clinical applications and provides evidence from the literature supporting the use of power wheelchairs for children. It is RESNA's position that age, limited vision or cognition, behavioral issues, and the ability to walk or propel a manual wheelchair short distances should not, in and of themselves, be used as discriminatory factors against power mobility (PM) for children. RESNA recommends early utilization of PM for the appropriate candidates as medically necessary to promote psychosocial development, reduce learned helplessness, and facilitate social and educational integration and independence. It is RESNA's position that early utilization of PM for the appropriate child enhances independence, improves psychosocial development, and enables children to grow to become productive and integrated members of society. Without efficient, independent mobility, children may develop learned helplessness and experience delays in both physical and cognitive domains. Mobility should be effortless and provide children with the opportunity to attend to and fulfill all daily tasks as typically expected from their nondisabled peers. Age, limited vision or cognition, difficulty of accessing controls, parental concerns, and the ability to utilize other means of mobility for very short distances should not, in and of themselves, eliminate the child as a candidate for PM.
Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A