Relationships between home and community participation, social-cognitive skills, and powered mobility learning in children with SMA type I: A randomized, waiting-list controlled trial.
Cristina Isabel Díaz-López, Rocío Palomo-Carrión, Maria Coello-Villalón et al.
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In 30 seconds
This randomized, waiting-list controlled trial examined whether early powered mobility training was associated with changes in participation, social-cognitive skills, and family outcomes in infants and young children with SMA type I. The final analysis included 9 children receiving 12 weeks of structured training with modified ride-on cars and 7 receiving usual care. Home participation improved progressively in the training group, with effect sizes reaching the small-to-moderate range; community participation did not change significantly. At follow-up, mobility learning was moderately to strongly associated with home participation, while cognitive scores were not consistently related to participation.
Key findings
- Among 9 trained children, home participation improved progressively, with effect sizes reaching the small-to-moderate range.
- No significant changes were observed in community participation.
- At follow-up, powered mobility learning showed moderate-to-strong associations with home participation.
- Cognitive scores were not consistently related to participation outcomes.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that powered mobility training may support participation in familiar home contexts for young children with SMA I, even when broader community participation does not show measurable change. The association between mobility learning and home participation highlights the potential value of assessing both skill acquisition and participation when evaluating early mobility interventions.
What to keep in mind
The final analysis included only 16 children, and the intervention lasted 12 weeks; community participation showed no significant change.