The Impact of Adaptive Seating Devices on the Lives of Young Children With Cerebral Palsy and Their Families

Objective: To determine the parent-perceived effect of adaptive seating devices on the lives of young children with cerebral palsy (CP) (aged 2-7y) and their families. Design: Baseline-intervention-baseline study. Setting: Homes of participating families. Participants: Thirty parents and their children with Gross Motor Function Classification System level III or IV CP. Interventions: Two special-purpose seating devices: 1 for sitting support on the floor or on a chair and the other for postural control on a toilet. Main Outcome Measures: Family Impact of Assistive Technology Scale (FIATS) and Impact on Family Scale (IFS). Results: Thirty parents (29 mothers, 1 father) and their children with CP participated. Repeated-measures analysis of variance detected significant mean differences among the FIATS scores (F-1.4,F-40.6=19.25, P<.001). Post hoe testing confirmed significant mean differences in overall FIATS scores between baseline and intervention and intervention and postintervention phases. The test of within-subject effects did not detect a significant change among ITS mean scores. Conclusions: The introduction of adaptive seating devices for young children who need support to sit had a meaningful, positive impact on child and family life. Removal of the study devices showed a concomitant negative impact on key aspects of child and family life. Environmental resources, such as seating and other assistive technology devices, may have an important role to play in the lives of young children with physical disabilities and their families.