Seating Systems

Abstract

No other area of technology for children with CP has shown any greater growth than that in mobility systems and seating components. There is no facility where you will not find consensus among the caregivers that an appropriate prescription for a seating device needs to include the family, the treating therapist, the physician, the equipment vendor, and, for the complex cases, a rehabilitation engineer. Guidelines for seating systems are outlined in Tables R9 through R17. Because wheelchairs are always large devices compared with the child’s size, when determining the functional use of the device one must very carefully consider the patient, the family environment and family goals, and the community environment where the device will be used (Figure R6). Many of the specific indications and contraindications are not well defined or widely agreed upon in the rehabilitation community. As with all interventions, there are pluses and minuses and these are included for consideration (see Tables R9-R17).