Exploring the influence of a school-based wheelchair skills training program on manual wheelchair mobility in youth: an exploratory study.

Introduction: 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 improvi...

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Publicado en:Disability & Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology Vol. 20; no. 6; pp. 1748 - 1755
Autores principales: Dib, Tatiana, Ouellet, Béatrice, Michaud, Maude, Best, Krista L., Daoust, Geneviève, Therrien, Julie-Anne, Côté, Marie-Michèle, Lair, Daniel, Rushton, Paula W.
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd Aug2025
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Aug2025
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      pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd
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        10.1080/17483107.2025.2483297
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        atl: Exploring the influence of a school-based wheelchair skills training program on manual wheelchair mobility in youth: an exploratory study.
      aug:
        au:
          Dib, Tatiana
          Ouellet, Béatrice
          Michaud, Maude
          Best, Krista L.
          Daoust, Geneviève
          Therrien, Julie-Anne
          Côté, Marie-Michèle
          Lair, Daniel
          Rushton, Paula W.
        affil: School of Rehabilitation, University of Montréal, Montréal, Canada
      sug:
        subj:
          Wheelchairs Education
          Physical Endurance Education
          Motor Skills Education
          Rehabilitation Methods
          Learning Environment
          Outcomes of Education
          Human
          Funding Source
          Canada
          Male
          Female
          Adolescence
          Young Adult
          Schools
          Health Education
          Equipment Design
          Ambulation Aids
          Schools, Secondary
          Exercise Test
          Therapeutic Exercise
          Group Processes
          Descriptive Statistics
          Pretest-Posttest Design
          Clinical Assessment Tools
          Nonparametric Statistics
          Prospective Studies
          Purposive Sample
          Education, Continuing
          Multidisciplinary Care Team
          Analysis of Variance
          Post Hoc Analysis
          Adolescent: 13-18 years
          Male
          Female
      ab: Introduction: 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 (Groupe Endurance), was offered at a specialized high school. Objectives: Explore changes in MWC capacity, propulsion and endurance of PMWUs between pre- (T0) to mid- (T1) to post-course (T2). Methods: A pre-post study with three measures (T0, T1, T2) was conducted. Groupe Endurance'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. Results: Ten PMWUs participated in the study. There were statistically significant differences between T0, T1 and T2 for MWC capacity (ATS (1.84)=17.35, p < 0.001) and the distance covered by participants on the 12-WPTCE (ATS (1.12)=4.36, p = 0.03). Conclusion: 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. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: Offering manual wheelchair skills training in a school setting, more specifically in a physical education class, is an interesting possibility for pediatric manual wheelchair users. Integrating motor learning principles such as type of practice, goal setting, demonstration and feedback may enhance school-based manual wheelchair skills training, for example in a physical education course. Tailored workshops on manual wheelchair skills training for rehabilitation professionals and physical education teachers is an interesting avenue to favour fidelity of the Wheelchair Skills Training Program applied in the school setting.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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