Wheelchair Skills Training for Children and Youth

NCT05564247 | Active Not Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: WSP-Ped2021
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 3

Brief Summary

Manual wheelchair (MWC) skills training is a critical component of wheelchair service provision. However, children and youth receive little to no training. MWC training effectively improves MWC skills, self-efficacy and satisfaction with participation (ie., facilitators of independent mobility and social participation) in adults. Independent mobility is especially critical for children, as it is associated with higher likelihood of employment and independent living in adulthood. Despite evidence of an effective Wheelchair Skills Training Program (WSTP) for adults, very little research has been conducted in the area of wheelchair mobility for children and youth. Two small single-group studies suggest that MWC skills training improves wheelchair skills and satisfaction with participation among individuals ages 4-17 years when training was conducted by professionals (eg. clinicians) and non-professionals (eg. peer-trainers). However, there are no controlled trials documenting the effect of MWC skills training among children and no evidence of best training approaches. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the WSTP for improving MWC skills, MWC confidence and participation outcomes among children and youth. A randomized controlled trial will establish efficacy of clinician led approaches to training, which may be implemented on a broader community-based scale in the future. The results of this study will provide critical evidence for best practices for improving MWC mobility during childhood. Deliverables from this study will include MWC skills training tools for clinicians, that will be made freely available through an existing website. The results will support multi-site implementation trials and exploration of community-based approaches to wheelchair skills training for children and use.

Conditions

Wheelchairs

Keywords

manual wheelchair; manual wheelchair skills training; pediatrics; self efficacy; skills capacity; skills performance; satisfaction with participation; actigraphy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Wheelchair Skills Test Version 5.3.1 for MWC users

  Change in MWC skills capacity (i.e., what a person can do in a standardized environment), and frequency of performance will be assessed using the Wheelchair Skills Test (WST). Each item is scored on a scale from 0 to 3, with 0= not capable to perform the skill (or not safely), 1 = can perform the skill partially; 2= can perform the skill (but has room for improvement); 3= can perform the skill at an expert level. A percent score is calculated, with higher percentage = higher skills.

  Baseline (T1); immediately post intervention up to 12 weeks after baseline (T2); 6-months follow-up (T3)

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Manual Wheelchair Activity (Actigraph)

  Baseline (T1); immediately post intervention up to 12 weeks after baseline (T2); 6-months follow-up (T3)

• Parents Perception of Child's MWC Capacity and Performance Version 5.2.1

  Baseline (T1); immediately post intervention up to 12 weeks after baseline (T2); 6-months follow-up (T3)

• MWC Use Confidence Scale (Wheel use confidence scale)

  Baseline (T1); immediately post intervention up to 12 weeks after baseline (T2); 6-months follow-up (T3)

• The Wheelchair Outcome Measure for Young People (WhOM-YP)

  Baseline (T1); immediately post intervention up to 12 weeks after baseline (T2); 6-months follow-up (T3)

Study Arms (2)

Experimental Group (WSTP)

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will complete 12, 45-minute weekly sessions of WSTP delivered by clinicians with \>5 years of experience working with children who use MWC. Trainers will customize each session based on the age group (child or adolescent) and training goals of each child as determined in session one. Subsequent sessions will begin with a 5-minute review of progress and socializing, followed by a 10-minute warm-up (random practice of the previously learned skills); 20 minutes of attempting new skills (training on each skill will be carried to next session until the skills are learned or until the trainer and participant mutually agree that training should be abandoned; the trainer will periodically ask the participant to practice newly learned skills to incorporate variability of practice); 10 minute cool-down, during which the participant will practice skills in a self-controlled environment. Age-appropriate considerations are incorporated into training materials

Behavioral: Wheelchair Skills Training Program (WSTP)

Control Group (Attention)

NO INTERVENTION

Participants will be attention-matched to mimic time and contacts ‬of‭ ‬the‭ experimental‭ ‬group. The control group will receive 12, 45-minute weekly sessions of 'Games and Activities' facilitated by healthcare professionals (e.g., occupational therapy/rehabilitation students) who will not be involved in the intervention or any other aspect of the study. The control group facilitator will mimic the same type of attention as the training at each site (i.e., sessions will be held at healthcare facilities and in the community (e.g., libraries, shopping centres, museums, parks). Facilitators will be equipped with current popular games and activities (according to social media and websites of popular children's stores) kits that include various board and card games, hand-eye coordination games, active games, cognitive activities, and arts and crafts suitable for children and adolescents to ensure interest and acceptability for all participants.

Interventions

Wheelchair Skills Training Program (WSTP) BEHAVIORAL

Participants will complete customized MWC skills training based on the evidence-based wheelchair skills program. Lessons plans will be created by the clinicians, children and parents participants based on goals, age, skills and interests, and used to customize the training.

Experimental Group (WSTP)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 4 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• have their own Manual Wheelchair (MWC)
• able to self-propel MWC for a minimum distance of 10 metres, without assistance
• able to follow a two-step command (evaluated by person conducting eligibility screening)

You may not qualify if:

• anticipate health conditions/procedures that contraindicate training in the next 6 months (e.g. surgery)
• have a degenerative condition that is expected to progress quickly
• will be/ are attending MWC skills training

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Laval University: lead

Study Sites (3)

IWK Health Centre

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Location

CHU Ste-Justine

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Location

Universite Laval

Québec, Quebec, G1M2S8, Canada

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Best KL, Rushton PW, Sheriko J, Arbour-Nicitopoulos KP, Dib T, Kirby RL, Lamontagne ME, Moore SA, Ouellet B, Routhier F. Effectiveness of wheelchair skills training for improving manual wheelchair mobility in children and adolescents: protocol for a multicenter randomized waitlist-controlled trial. BMC Pediatr. 2023 Sep 26;23(1):485. doi: 10.1186/s12887-023-04303-8.

  PMID: 37752480 DERIVED

Study Officials

• Krista Best, PhD

  Universite Laval

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER
• Masking Details: Testers will remain blinded to group assignment throughout the study. A Research Coordinator (Quebec site) will coordinate T2 and T3 assessments for both groups.
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: A three-site, single-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT)

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 14, 2022
• First Posted: October 3, 2022
• Study Start: June 1, 2022
• Primary Completion: July 24, 2025
• Study Completion: March 31, 2026
• Last Updated: September 29, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (3)