Modified ride-on cars and mastery motivation in young children with disabilities: Effects of environmental modifications.

BACKGROUND: Independent mobility is important for children's psychological development. Modified ride-on cars are innovative, alternative options to enhance independent mobility, socialization, and motivation in young children with disabilities. AIM: We compared the effects of combining ride-on car use and a social interaction training program on mastery motivation and home affordances with a home education program in young children with disabilities. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Twenty-nine children with disabilities aged 1-3 years were recruited. The treatment group (n = 15) received two 2-h sessions/week for 9 weeks of ride-on car training in a hospital environment in Taiwan. The control group (n = 14) underwent similar home education programs. No treatment except regular therapy was administered during the 9-week follow-up period. Assessments included the Revised Dimensions of Mastery Questionnaire-Chinese version and the Affordance in the Home Environment for Motor Development-Toddler version-Chinese version. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The treatment group (compared to controls) had significantly greater improvements in object persistence during the intervention. Both groups showed significant improvements in mastery pleasure and home affordances during the intervention. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: This novel study showed the potential use of modified ride-on cars to enhance mastery motivation in a hospital environment.

Modified Ride-On Cars and Young Children with Disabilities: Effects of Combining Mobility and Social Training.

BACKGROUND: Research has shown that the use of power mobility devices is safe and beneficial for motor and cognitive development in children with motor disabilities; nevertheless, strong evidence of the benefits for social skill development is limited. This study aimed to examine the effects of combining ride-on car training with an adult-directed, social interaction program in a hospital-based environment on mobility and social functions in young children with motor disabilities. METHODS: This study used a prospective, nonequivalent pretest-posttest control group design. Twenty-nine young children with motor disabilities, aged between 1 and 3 years, were recruited from local hospitals in Taiwan. The treatment group (n = 15) underwent 2-h ride-on car training sessions twice per week for a total of 9 weeks in the hospital environment. The control group (n = 14) underwent a 9-week home education program (mean: 200 min/week) focusing on mobility and social skills training. The Chinese version of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory, Parenting Stress Index, and Goal Attainment Scaling were administered to all participants before and after the intervention, and at the end of the 9-week follow-up phase. RESULTS: Mobility and social functions significantly improved in both groups after the 9-week intervention, but this improvement was not maintained at the follow-up phase. The treatment group showed significantly better improvement in social function, parenting stress levels, and goal achievement than the control group at posttest. CONCLUSION: This two-group design study showed the benefits of combining a ride-on car use with a family-centered, structured, social interaction program for positive impacts on mobility, social function, and parenting stress levels. The combination of a modified ride-on car and a social training program has the potential to enhance socialization in young children with motor disabilities. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT02527499.