Dib Tatiana, Ouellet Béatrice, Michaud Maude, Best Krista L, Daoust Geneviève, Therrien Julie-Anne, Côté Marie-Michèle, Lair Daniel, Rushton Paula W
School of Rehabilitation, University of Montréal, Montréal, Canada.
CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre, Montréal, Canada.
Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol. 2025 Aug;20(6):1748-1754. doi: 10.1080/17483107.2025.2483297. Epub 2025 Mar 25.
Self-directed manual wheelchair (MWC) mobility can facilitate participation in school, sports and community activities for pediatric MWC users (PMWUs), though many rely on others for getting around. The Wheelchair Skills Training Program (WSTP) has demonstrated effectiveness in improving MWC mobility in adults with preliminary evidence in pediatrics. However, rehabilitation professionals lack time to provide sufficient training. Expanding training opportunities within the community, such as in schools, could be promising, but has not been documented. A mobility training physical education class incorporating the WSTP (), was offered at a specialized high school.
Explore changes in MWC capacity, propulsion and endurance of PMWUs between pre- (T0) to mid- (T1) to post-course (T2).
A pre-post study with three measures (T0, T1, T2) was conducted. 's participants respecting the eligibility criteria were invited to participate in the study. PMWUs attended 34 classes during the school year. MWC capacity, propulsion and endurance were assessed with the Wheelchair Skills Test (WST), the Wheelchair Propulsion Test (WPT) and the 12-minute Wheelchair Performance Test for Cardiorespiratory Endurance (12-WPTCE) respectively. Nonparametric longitudinal analyses were used to explore changes between T0, T1 and T2.
Ten PMWUs participated in the study. There were statistically significant differences between T0, T1 and T2 for MWC capacity (ATS (1.84)=17.35, < 0.001) and the distance covered by participants on the 12-WPTCE (ATS (1.12)=4.36, = 0.03).
Integrating MWC skills training into schools appears to be an interesting solution to improve PMWUs' mobility. Future studies are required to determine proper training dosage.
自主手动轮椅移动能力有助于儿科轮椅使用者（PMWU）参与学校、体育和社区活动，不过许多人出行仍依赖他人。轮椅技能培训项目（WSTP）已证明对提高成人轮椅移动能力有效，儿科方面也有初步证据。然而，康复专业人员缺乏时间提供足够培训。在社区（如学校）扩大培训机会可能很有前景，但尚未有相关记录。一所特殊高中开设了一门融入WSTP的移动训练体育课。
探究PMWU在课程前（T0）、课程中（T1）和课程后（T2）轮椅移动能力、推进能力和耐力的变化。
进行一项有三个测量点（T0、T1、T2）的前后对照研究。邀请符合资格标准的参与者参加研究。PMWU在学年期间参加了34节课。分别通过轮椅技能测试（WST）、轮椅推进测试（WPT）和12分钟轮椅心肺耐力性能测试（12 - WPTCE）评估轮椅移动能力、推进能力和耐力。采用非参数纵向分析来探究T0、T1和T2之间的变化。
10名PMWU参与了研究。在T0、T1和T2之间，轮椅移动能力（ATS(1.84)=17.35，P＜0.001）以及参与者在12 - WPTCE上行驶的距离（ATS(1.12)=4.36，P = 0.03）存在统计学显著差异。
将轮椅移动技能培训融入学校似乎是提高PMWU移动能力的一个有趣解决方案。未来需要开展研究以确定合适的训练剂量。
