Viabilidade do uso do carro motorizado e adaptado pelo Projeto Adapt para mobilidade de crianças com paralisia cerebral - GMFCS IV e V

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Children with Cerebral Palsy have restrictions on participation and limitations to carry out activities. Independent mobility, including outdoors, should be promoted for children aged between 0 and 11 years. A project that has been very successful in the United States and has been spreading around the world is the Go Baby Go, where an adaptation of commercially available electric carts was developed so that children with disabilities can propel them through different types of sensors, thus allowing them to explore environmental, socialization, fun and play. The ADAPT Project at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora has the same purposes. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility of using electric carts, adapted by the ADAPT project, to be propelled by different types of sensors and to verify their influence on the mobility of children with Cerebral Palsy classified in levels IV and V of the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). METHODS: This is a case series study that prospectively analyzed the feasibility of using a motorized car adapted for children with cerebral palsy who cannot walk independently, classified by the GMFCS as IV or V. This study is part of a project extension of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, entitled ADAPT Project. The participants were submitted to evaluations carried out using the following standardized instruments: Screening form, Questionnaire from the Brazilian Association of Companies and Research (ABEP), Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), Manual Skill Classification System (MACS) , Family Report of Gross Motor Function (GMF-FR), Participation and Environment Measure for Young Children (YC-PEM) or Participation and Environment Measure – Children and Youth (PEM-CY), Pediatric Evaluation Disability Inventory – Computer adaptive test (PEDI-CAT), Pediatric Quality of Life – Cerebral Palsy (PedsQL-CP), Mobility Driven by Learning (ALP) Instrument, and Quebec User Satisfaction Assessment with Assistive Technology (QUEST 2.0), for comparison purposes with the results before and after using the motor car. RESULTS: Four children aged between 2 and 5 years participated in this study. All children received a motorized car adapted by the project according to their characteristics and needs. All children went from level 1 to 3 in the ALP. Two children had motor gain according to the GMF-FR. At YC-PEM, an increase in children's participation in activities and in their community was observed. Quality of life showed improvement in some domains according to the PedsQL-CP. The PEDI-CAT demonstrated significant changes in the mobility domain in almost all children, and in some in daily and social/cognitive activities. And according to QUEST 2.0, the car under study generated user and family satisfaction. CONCLUSION: The adapted motorized car proved to be viable for use by children with cerebral palsy levels IV and V. This study showed that it is possible to motorize and adapt a car with low financial value and thus provide children with mobility, participation and improved quality of life.