Do you use a cognitive and/or vision screen prior to trying power wheelchairs?
Answer
I do not. The main reason is a lot of the clients that I work with have cortical visual impairment, and as you know that means their visual skills fluctuate throughout the day, and it is very difficult to get a sense of what they are actually seeing. Many people with fairly low vision and even some people with no vision, not usually young children, are able to use power mobility devices. I try to see what this child can do with mobility opportunities, regardless of what a vision test may tell me. Most vision tests look at acuity anyway, and I find a lot of my children have more perceptual issues. Depth perception really does not develop until about crawling age in most children. In children who have not experience with crawling, depth perception is usually not present or is very impaired. I found that in my personal experience; I have not seen this in any research study; that after children have mobility experiences, sometimes for just a few weeks, depth perception can develop fairly quickly.
Michelle Lange, OTR/L, ABDA, ATP/SMS
Michelle Lange is an occupational therapist with over 35 years of experience and has been in private practice, Access to Independence, for over 15 years. She is a well-respected lecturer, both nationally and internationally, and has authored numerous texts, chapters, and articles. She is the co-editor of Seating and Wheeled Mobility: a clinical resource guide. She is the former NRRTS Continuing Education Curriculum Coordinator and Clinical Editor of NRRTS Directions magazine. Michelle is a RESNA Fellow and member of the Clinician Task Force. Michelle is a RESNA-certified ATP and SMS.
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