7 min read
TL; DR: Mobility is a recognized human right, established by two UN conventions. Yet powered mobility for young children has historically been delayed for years, treated as a last resort, or not considered until the child is “old enough” to drive. This post makes the case for why that needs to change.
Picture a one-year-old propped in her living room, watching her older brother run around the house. She wants to join in. She just can't. For a typically developing toddler, that gap closes within weeks to months. Most often, crawling, then walking, then running. For a child with a significant mobility impairment, that gap can last for years or, in some cases, for the child’s lifespan, unless someone decides to intervene. This series is about that decision.
Addie's Story
Throughout this series, we’ll be checking in with one family who saw the importance of pursuing power mobility for their daughter, Addie. Addie is a spunky, confident 6-year-old, with four siblings and a big desire to be a part of the action. Melanie, Addie’s mom, has been a strong advocate for her since day one. When Addie's mobility wasn't keeping up with her peers, her family started exploring what types of equipment would give Addie more opportunities. This exploration led to a variety of devices over the years, including gait trainers, an adaptive tricycle, a manual wheelchair, and most recently, a power wheelchair. Keep an eye out for blue boxes throughout this nine-part blog series to follow along with Addie’s story, the challenges, successes and everything in between.
Over the next nine posts, we’ll look at the evidence, available frameworks, the barriers, and the technology shaping how young children who may benefit from power mobility gain, and keep, the ability to move themselves through the world. But before we dive into the details of power mobility, let’s start with the basics: Mobility isn’t a privilege. It’s a right.
Two United Nations documents formally recognize mobility as a right: the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child1,2. The CRPD guarantees children with disabilities the same rights as their peers and access to mobility aids, assistive tech, and training to support personal mobility. The Convention on the Rights of the Child adds rights to development, play, health, rehabilitation, and education and calls for children with disabilities to have the services needed for development and full participation in everyday life3. Given this, what if we considered the wheelchair evaluation from a rights perspective, not just a clinical one?
Most children begin exploring their world before their first birthday, crawling around 7 - 10 months and walking by 12 - 15 months4. That early, self-initiated movement isn't just about getting from one place to another. It triggers what researchers call a developmental cascade. When a child moves on their own, it changes what they see, hear, and do, which in turn shapes language, spatial understanding, memory, and emotional expression5 . In other words, movement and learning feed each other constantly at a young age.
When a child can't move independently, that cycle is disrupted. Children with complex disabilities have fewer chances to explore, play, and interact socially than their peers without disabilities. Left unaddressed, this can lead to what’s called learned helplessness — a child stops trying to influence their surroundings and becomes more dependent on others, which has been linked to a lack of opportunity rather than the diagnosis alone6,7. When this happens, the child is at risk of becoming a passive participant in their world.
For decades, powered mobility for young children has been treated as an option of last resort, something to try only after every other option had been exhausted. “Early” usually meant age 3 to 5, while many waited until the child reached “driving age”, and still others may have never considered it. Today, we know better. Studies show that powered mobility helps very young children and their families, yet many children still can’t get the equipment they need8. That’s why researchers and clinicians specializing in pediatric powered mobility are calling for “a radical paradigm shift” in how we think about early powered mobility. Not as a device of last resort, but as a developmental necessity, introduced as soon as “mobility impairments lead to gaps in participation between a child, their peers, and family”9.
That's the shift this series is built around: from asking “is this child ready for a power wheelchair?” to asking “is this child getting the mobility they have a right to, on the same timeline as other children their age?”
Keep reading next week as we look at the research behind this shift in The Research on Pediatric Power Mobility: What OTs and PTs Need to Know.
The information in this post is intended for general educational purposes and reflects a summary of published research. It is not a substitute for individualized evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment by a qualified clinician. Every child's needs, abilities, and circumstances are different — please consult your child's physical therapist, occupational therapist, physician, or seating and mobility specialist before making decisions about powered mobility and corresponding assistive technologies.
References
Feldner, H. A., Logan, S. W., & Galloway, J. C. (2016). Why the time is right for a radical paradigm shift in early powered mobility: The role of powered mobility technology devices, policy and stakeholders. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 11(2), 89–102. https://doi.org/10.3109/17483107.2015.1079651
Feldner, H. A., Plummer, T., & Hendry, A. (2022). A Guideline for introducing powered mobility to infants and toddlers. Permobil. https://www.permobil.com/en/clinical-research/research-library/a-guideline-for-introducing-powered-mobility-to-infants-and-toddlers
Livingstone, R., & Paleg, G. (2014). Practice considerations for the introduction and use of power mobility for children. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 56(3), 210-221. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.12245
Rosen, L., Plummer, T., Sabet, A., Lange, M. L., & Livingstone, R. (2023). RESNA position on the application of power mobility devices for pediatric users. Assistive Technology, 35(1), 14–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400435.2017.1415575
Sabet, A., Feldner, H., Tucker, J., Logan, S. W., & Galloway, J. C. (2022). ON time mobility: Advocating for mobility equity. Pediatric Physical Therapy, 34(4), 546–550. https://doi.org/10.1097/PEP.0000000000000939
United Nations. (1989). Convention on the Rights of the Child. https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child
United Nations. (2006). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. https://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/convention/convoptprot-e.pdf
Vassbø, Å. M.-B., & Mørk, G. (2025). Children's opportunities and rights for mobility and participation: Occupational therapists' experiences with paediatric powered mobility. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 32(1). Article 2520863. https://doi.org/10.1080/11038128.2025.2520863
About the Author
Angela Regier, OTD, OTR/L, ATP/SMS, is a RESNA-certified Assistive Technology Professional and Seating and Mobility Specialist with a Doctor of Occupational Therapy from Creighton University. She’s held clinical, education, and product leadership roles within the complex rehab technology industry and now serves as Regional Director of Clinical Education at LUCI, supporting clinicians and ATPs nationwide in applying smart wheelchair technology to optimize independence and function.