Q&A: Hayley Arlt: A parent’s perspective on pediatric power mobility

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Hayley Arlt’s daughter was 10 and a half months old when she saw a posting about using power mobility devices for toddlers with mobility limitations. The clinical trial provided her daughter, who has spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy, with a modified, ride-on toy car and Permobil’s Explorer Mini, to use. 

Here’s what Arlt had to say about her family’s experience and what other parents should know. 

HME News: Did you have any concerns about using power mobility devices? 

Hayley Arlt: I know some therapists aren’t supportive of power mobility because they believe it could deter or take the place of gross motor development, but I really wasn’t concerned about that. It’s not like I was putting her in the device for the majority of the day. It was for short bursts of time, and it was very purposeful when we did it. It had no impact on her not wanting to crawl or walk. 

HME: What kind of impact did these devices have on your daughter? 

Arlt: She’s able to have more freedom, more independence. She's super social and I think having something like power mobility really helps her, because she's able to keep up. Being around younger kids that are starting to crawl, it can be a little overwhelming for her because she doesn't do those things, and they're able to move and go exactly where they want to go, so her having that capability is really empowering to her, and really enjoyable, too. 

HME: Anything you would tell other parents in terms of using power mobility devices? 

Arlt: It's really worthwhile to pair something like power mobility with manual devices, whether it's a manual wheelchair or a gate trainer or a crawler – something that helps them practice physical gross motor movement. She’s 21 months, so having some means of independence, I think, it's really important and deters a lot of frustration.