More alike than different: The impact of early powered mobility on sibling interactions
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INTRODUCTION: Early powered mobility allows children to interact with their environment through self-directed mobility. This interaction is important for children to develop language, cognition, motor, and social skills. In the literature review, there was little research that showed the impacts of early power mobility for a child with disability and their social interaction with their siblings. The goal was to interview families who had participated in the GoBabyGo program at Wichita State University who have siblings to see if sibling interaction was impacted. Although sibling interaction was not directly impacted, the benefits of the ride-on car were notable. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to identify parents' perceptions of changes in sibling social interaction after adding a modified ride-on car. Focusing on the effect of early powered mobility on sibling interaction can provide both parents and therapists with not only more information on the topic, but also possibly a pathway to increasing socialization among children with disabilities within the home setting. The examination of the types of social interaction that occur between the siblings might provide a way to encourage future interactions not only between the siblings but also peers and adults. METHODS: The study included parents of 4 children with varying disabilities who received a ride-on car from Wichita State University's GoBabyGo program and have at least one sibling under the age of 18. A semi-structured interview that consisted of 9 open-ended questions was administered to each family. The transcripts were transcribed and coded for themes using qualitative analysis. RESULTS: After qualitative analysis, there were 3 identifying themes that were in common among all the interviews. The themes that were found were 1) developmental progression for the child with the disability whether that be motor, language, or cognition, 2) increased opportunities for outside interaction, and 3) increased interactions and relationship development for the child with the disability. Parent report indicated increased social interaction between their child with the disability and their siblings. CONCLUSION: The findings highlight another benefit to using early powered mobility for children with disabilities. This study suggests that early powered mobility can provide families with a way to create opportunities for their children to interact in new activity settings and allow for the child with disabilities to take on new roles during play.
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Research completed in the Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Professions.
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v. 20