Real World Tracking of Modified Ride-On Car Usage in Young Children With Disabilities.

BACKGROUND

Go Baby Go is a community program that provides modified ride-on cars to young children with disabilities.

AIMS

(1) To describe the real world modified ride-on car usage of young children with disabilities; (2) To compare subjectively reported modified ride-on car usage recorded by parents with objectively reported usage based on electronic tracking data.

METHODS

14 young children (1-3 years old) with disabilities used a modified ride-on car for three months.

RESULTS

On average, parent-reported activity log data indicated that children used the modified ride-on car for 17.8 minutes per session ( = 9.9) and 195.1 total minutes ( = 234.8) over three months. Objective tracking data indicated 16.5 minutes per session ( = 8.6) and 171.4 total minutes ( = 206.1) over three months. No significant difference of modified ride-on car usage was found between parent-reported activity log data and objective tracking; yet, the mean absolute difference between tracking methods was 96 minutes ( = 8.6) and suggests over- or under-reporting of families. Children used the modified ride-on car more in the first half compared to the second half of the three-month period ( < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

This study may inform future research studies and local chapters of the Go Baby Go community program.