title: The use of modified ride-on cars to maximize mobility and improve socialization-a group design.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the effects of ride-on car (ROC) training versus conventional therapy on mobility and social function in young children with disabilities in a hospital-based environment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty young children with disabilities, aged 1-3 years, were recruited. The treatment group (n=10) received ROC training of 2h/session, 2 sessions/week for a total of 9 weeks in the hospital environment. The control group (n=10) received conventional therapy alone. Assessments included the Chinese version of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory and the Parenting Stress Index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After a 9-week intervention, the treatment group showed improvements in mobility and social function, whereas the control group showed improvements in social function alone. Four children in the treatment group had clinically meaningful changes in mobility and 3 in social function, as compared to 2 and 1, respectively, in the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first group study that demonstrated the potential benefits of ROC training on mobility and social function in young children with disabilities in the hospital environment. Future studies should include a larger sample size to detect any differences between ROC training and conventional therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Therapy and Graduate Institute of Behavioral Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Healthy Aging Research Center, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Joint Appointment with Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan. Electronic address: hsiangha@mail.cgu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Hsiang-Han
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Early Intervention, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chia-Ling
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002673:Child, Hospitalized; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008124:Locomotion; D008297:Male; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D058992:Social Participation; D012951:Socialization; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D014910:Wheelchairs
keywords: Mobility; Modified ride-on cars; Parenting stress level; Socialization; Young children with disabilities