Assistive technology for children with disabilities: Product variety promotes participation

Children need room to roam, explore, and learn how to set and respect boundaries. Unfortunately, children with disabilities may encounter barriers when it comes to these life activities. Assistive technology tools offer support and encourage the independence of a child. Luckily, there is a myriad of assistive technology devices to face any obstacle: REHACARE 2022 showcased tools that ran the gamut from car seats, rehab buggies to standing mobility and movement devices.

Assistive technology devices make everyday life easier for children by offering support. At REHACARE 2022, Ottobock attracted a lot of attention with its Exopulse Mollii Suit, the world's first neuromodulation suit. The German online review platform FiNiFuchs – a collaborative partner of the trade fair – also wanted to take a look at the device. The suit allows children with neurological indications to achieve more freedom of movement by relaxing spastic and tense muscles and relieving pain.

"The suit features 58 embedded electrodes that stimulate 40 key muscle groups in the body, prompting the relaxation of the spastic muscles. It is designed to be worn just an hour every day or every other day. It makes daily routines such as independent eating, tying shoelaces, or climbing stairs without help possible again for children. The smallest sized suit available fits a child of 104 cm in height," says Jan Salzmann, Market Manager NeuroMobility at Otto Bock HealthCare Deutschland GmbH.

Pediatric mobile therapy chairs were another highlight at the trade fair. FiNiFuchs reviewed madita., the height-adjustable therapy chair from Schuchmann GmbH & Co. KG that grows with your child. Available in four sizes, it accompanies both small children and adolescents to make life more comfortable.

"Our madita. keeps up with the times. That's why it recently underwent an exciting redesign in terms of appearance and functionality. Along with new fabrics and colors, the redesign encompasses three new footrests, and an ergonomically adapted back unit to allow lots of freedom in the arm and shoulder area. The new version also features pads without metal brackets, a headrest that can be adjusted in angle and height, and so much more. The same goes for madita-fun.: The therapy chairs stabilize the sitting posture and provide opportunities for activities and participation for the children," says Gerret Gorholt (design and development at Schuchmann), who oversaw the project.

The Wolturnus GmbH also showcased a therapy chair as part of its new integrated Wolturnus Kids pediatric rehabilitation line. The NeoSIT comes in two versions: School and High-Low. "The backrest can be individually adjusted to the contour of the child’s back, kind of like a 'second spine'," says Marco Hessler, Sales Manager at Wolturnus Germany. What’s more, the pelvis width can be continuously adjusted, with the armrests following the width of the seat. The split seat plate facilitates independent adjustment of the left and right seat heights to accommodate pelvic obliquity (misalignment of the pelvis), for example.

At REHACARE, Hessler also highlighted the Lori stander. "The device is very popular and in high demand because it is multifunctional, grows with the child and maneuvers even small children starting at 67 centimeters in height into an upright position. This allows the little ones to participate in everyday life from an early age. Thanks to a pneumatic spring, Lori can position users from standing to lying down and is also easily applicable in a prone or supine position."

For children with disabilities, the ability to stand is important for both motor and cognitive development. At the REHACARE trade fair, Motion Solutions GmbH (moso) showcased the EasyStand Zing standing exercise device, which accommodates children sized 50 centimeters and up. "An important feature of our Zing device is that it facilitates ergonomically correct and completely vertical standing and not just a leaning posture," says Klaus Gierse, Founder and Managing Director of moso.

Zing allows children to move from a horizontal position (for resting or for transfer) to a vertical position and even into a prone position of up to 20 degrees in one smooth motion. This activates muscles and tonic labyrinthine reflexes that are crucial for subsequent standing and walking exercises. By expanding the hips by up to 30 degrees on each side, Zing actively supports the development of the femoral heads and provides the basis for subsequent standing and walking training. The Zing device can be easily adapted to the child’s growth and used into adolescence.

The safe transport of children with disabilities is sometimes a challenge for their families as they must find the right seat. The HERO-XL car seat from HERNIK GmbH extends rear-facing transport for bigger children. "This is often the ideal and safest position for children with restricted trunk and head control. Until now, this was only an option until children reached 18 kilograms," says Nora Bruckmeier from HERNIK’s marketing department.

Rehab strollers, buggies, and trikes give children a maximum level of mobility. The xROVER REHA device from Volter s.r.o. is a multifunctional, certified medical stroller that facilitates the transport of children with severe disabilities. It can be converted into a buggy and provides a maximum level of safety and comfort. "With our stroller, you can safely go to the city or hike in nature. You can participate in sports activities such as jogging, in-line skating or biking. xROVER REHA is safe, comfortable, practical and comes in three models, accommodating persons with limited mobility from childhood to adulthood," says Karel Novotny from Volter.

Children and adolescents with restricted mobility can forge their own path with the trikes from HASE BIKES. TRIX and TRETS are adaptive recumbent trikes for children between 3’3” and 4’3” (100 to 150 centimeters) in height (TRETS) and children and young people between 4’1” and 6’2” (125 to 190 centimeters) in height (TRIX).

"They have several advantages over conventional trikes: The delta design with two wheels in the back and one front wheel gives the trike great stability thanks to its low center of gravity. This makes them ideal for children and young people with motor impairments, neuromuscular disorders, or paraplegia, who cannot use conventional bikes - not even with training wheels," says Kirsten Hase, Head of Marketing at HASE BIKES. The trikes can also be adapted to the individual’s respective disability. Users can choose between single-hand control, crank shorteners, or special pedals.

And: In Germany, both trikes are registered medical aids with their respective numbers. TRETS: 22.51.02.0062, TRIX: 22.51.02.0059. HASE BIKES has also created a German-language how-to guide called "Action auf Rezept” (English: Prescribed Action) that provides a step-by-step explanation to apply for the trikes at your health insurance companies. It is available for download (in German only) on the company’s website.