Grand Valley State University (GVSU) Skills on Wheels

Running, not enrolling · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Spina Bifida, Cerebral Palsy, Genetic Disease, Spinal Cord Injuries, Gross Motor Development Delay, Motor Skills Disorders

In brief

Manual wheelchairs (MWCs) are widely used by children with physical disabilities, yet many of these children are unable to use their wheelchair independently. Instead, they depend on others to push them. This dependency results in limited opportunities to decide what they want to do and where they want to go, leading to learned helplessness, social isolation, decreased participation, and restricted involvement in physical activities. Furthermore, unsafe MWC use increases the risk of injury, as highlighted by the 44,300 children treated each year in emergency departments for MWC-related injuries. While independent MWC mobility can positively influence quality of life, MWC skills training must also be provided to promote safe, independent MWC use. The effectiveness of MWC training programs for adults is well established, yet the current standard-of-care does not include MWC skills training for children and research regarding the efficacy of pediatric MWC skills training programs is limited. Skills on Wheels seeks to address these gaps and provide pilot data for a future large-scale, multi-site research project involving a randomized controlled trial. Aim 1 is to explore the influence of Skills on Wheels on children's MWC skills and confidence in their MWC use. Aim 2 is to investigate the influence of Skills on Wheels on children's psychosocial skills, social participation, and adaptive behavior.

Key facts

Study ID: NCT05339932
Run by: Grand Valley State University
People needed: 4
Starts: 2022-05-05
Expected to finish: 2027-12-31
Last updated by the study team: 2025-09-15

Who can join

Age: 5 and older, up to 17. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

5-17 years of age. NOTE: Participants must be under 18 for the duration of the study.
Have a condition resulting in difficulties walking.
Use a manual wheelchair greater than or equal to 25% of the time
Are able to follow simple instructions per parent report
Has at least one parent/caregiver who is able to converse in English (as assessed by the PI during interactions over the phone and in person) due to safety concerns.
Resides in Michigan

You may not qualify if…

Any reason that it would not be safe for the child to participate in manual wheelchair training (as assessed by the PI, a licensed physical therapist)
The child's manual wheelchair is not safe (as assessed by the PI, a licensed physical therapist)

Where it is running

Grand Valley State University — Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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