Changing philosophical perspectives on the management of children with physical disabilities--their effect on the use of powered mobility

Purpose : Over the past decade, the emergence of a new philosophical framework has influenced approaches to service delivery in paediatric rehabilitation. Traditional approaches focused on the attainment of typical movement patterns as the ultimate goal of intervention. By contrast, contemporary approaches to intervention encourage children with physical disabilities to use their most efficient movement strategies to explore their environment and participate in meaningful activities.

Methods/Results : Factors that facilitated this change in approaches to intervention are explored and include: the disability movement; the evolution of models of disablement; the shift from a medical model to a family-centred model of health care service provision; the emergence of a new theory to explain motor development and increased availability and quality of assistive technology.

Conclusion : The clinical implications of this philosophical shift for the use of powered mobility with children with physical disabilities are explored. A collaborative approach to working with families throughout the process of selecting mobility options for their children is discussed.