Students and faculty from the Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Engineering departments have reinstated the Go-Baby-Go program.
Thanks to the collaborative efforts of faculty and staff in these departments, six children from the region will receive customized mobility cars in May. The cars will be tailored to their specific needs.
Go-Baby-Go is focused on increasing mobility and finding quality-of-life solutions for children whose access to these kinds of solutions is limited during their early developmental years for various reasons.
The University previously supported a Go-Baby-Go program, but it was suspended during the pandemic. Last summer, Clinical Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy Casey Movinsky gave the project a second life.
“We had one child who needed a powered car this past summer, so the Physical Therapy Department partnered with Engineering,” said Movinsky.
“After that, we decided that we wanted to involve more children, so we asked the Occupational Therapy Department to get involved.”
Movinsky said that the interdisciplinary approach is a first for the program.
Last fall, money was raised to purchase the cars for area children and parents and clinicians from around the area submitted applications. PT and OT students completed evaluations of children during the first two weeks of January and Engineering students are currently working on building the cars.
“Occupational therapy looks at the child’s functionality and strengths to figure out how to tap into their skill level,” said OT Associate Professor Julie Nagle.
“We try to keep the play aspect at the forefront, however, because play is the primary occupation for kids.”
Nagle emphasized that while it usually takes 20 or more repetitions to learn a task, a child’s intrinsic motivation during play often results in quicker learning with fewer repetitions.
She believes the children will be more likely to use the mobility device if they consider it a play activity.
After the OT and PT students evaluated the children who applied, they prepared a report for the Engineering students. The three groups then met to discuss each specific child’s needs.
The Engineering students are currently building the cars by adapting power wheels, rewiring and making other technological adaptations.
Engineering students are participating in the Go-Baby-Go program through their service-learning class. SFU Engineering Instructor Br. Marius Strom said that Go-Baby-Go is a great opportunity for Engineering students to see different perspectives from their OT and PT peers.
“I’ve noticed how much the students are not only recognizing the physical needs of the children through building these cars, but also the mental and emotional needs,” said Strom.
“They have been placed on a very similar tier of importance in the design process.”
Strom said that the community-centric nature of the program aligns with the goals of the University’s Engineering Program.
Graduate Physical Therapy student Monica Gregg enjoyed participating in the evaluation process of the Go-Baby-Go program.
“I loved being able to work with my PT classmates, OT students, professors and the families to brainstorm some creative modifications for the cars,” said Monica Gregg, who is in her second year of graduate studies.
“I am excited to see how the cars have an impact on the children’s mobility and quality of life moving forward.”
Movinsky said that she hopes more children in the community will participate in the program in future years.
“I think that our students are getting a lot out of this,” said Movinsky.
