ROBOT-ASSISTED MOBILITY FOR INFANTS WITH SEVERE SPINA SPINA

描述(申请人提供)：对于典型的儿童，通过爬行和行走实现独立行动能力是他们婴儿期的一个标志，导致认知、知觉和运动发展的爆炸性增长。对于有严重行动障碍的儿童，例如患有严重脊柱裂的儿童，电动轮椅提供了灵活性和独立性，并可能导致他们的发展爆炸性增长。目前，没有电动轮椅，也没有针对2岁以下有特殊需要的婴儿的培训方案；因此，将电动机动性引入他们的生活中的效果尚不清楚。这项研究将首次量化强化动力轮椅训练对任何确诊的特殊需要婴儿的影响。具体地说，我们将量化训练对患有脊髓脊膜膨出婴儿的驾驶和发育的影响，脊髓脊膜膨出是最常见但也是最严重的脊柱裂形式。我们将跟踪观察两组从7个月到12个月大的婴儿。接受培训的婴儿将接受每周3次的标准化培训方案。对照组婴儿将在设备中接受每周1次的熟悉时间。在整个研究过程中，训练组和对照组都将接受测试，内容包括他们的定向驾驶能力；他们在开放式探索驾驶中的驾驶长度、持续时间和路径；以及他们的运动、知觉、认知和社交发展。修订后的R21是正在进行的工程-婴儿康复协作的创新、可行的应用，并将为第一个针对有严重行动能力障碍的婴儿的长期力量活动训练的随机对照试验奠定基础。公共卫生相关性：爬行和行走是婴儿期的标志，导致认知、知觉和社会发展的爆炸性增长。长期以来，通过电动轮椅提供活动能力对有严重行动障碍的婴儿来说一直被认为是重要的。对于这种早期使用电动轮椅的影响，目前还没有全面的研究。在这个项目中，我们将首次量化电动轮椅训练对严重脊柱裂婴儿活动能力和发育的影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): For the typical child, achieving independent mobility by crawling and walking is a hallmark of their infancy and results in an explosion of cognitive, perceptual and motor development. For children with significant mobility impairments, such as those with severe spina bifida, power wheelchairs provide mobility and independence, and potentially also lead to an explosion in their development. Currently, there are no power wheelchairs and no training protocols for special needs infants less than 2 yrs of age; thus the effect of introducing power mobility into their lives is unknown. This study will be the first to quantify the effect of intensive power wheelchair training on special needs infants with any diagnosis. Specifically, we will quantify the effect of training on the driving and development of infants with myelomeningocele, the most common, yet most severe form of spina bifida. We will follow two groups of infants from 7 months to 12 months of age. Training infants will receive a standardized training protocol 3x/week. Control infants will receive time in the device for familiarization 1x/week. Both training and control groups will be tested throughout the study on their directional driving ability; their driving length, duration and path during open exploratory driving; and their motor, perceptual, cognitive and social development. This revised R21 is an innovative, feasible application of ongoing engineering-infant rehabilitation collaboration, and will provide the foundation for the first randomized controlled trial of long term power mobility training of infants with significant mobility impairments. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Crawling and walking are hallmarks of infancy and lead to an explosion in cognitive, perceptual and social development. Providing mobility via power wheelchairs has long been proposed to be important for infants with significant mobility impairments. There are no comprehensive studies of the effect of such early power wheelchair use. In this project, we will quantify, for the first time, the effect of power wheelchair training on the mobility and development of young infants with severe spina bifida.