Could a special seat for disabled children relieve discomfort and boost freedom?
This research was completed on 30 November 2011
Published on 6 October 2007
Severely disabled children who have frequent muscle spasms can find it impossible to sit comfortably on a standard chair. The spasms, which cause their whole body to stretch out rigidly, can mean they constantly need to sit on someone’s lap. Researchers are developing a new seating system, which moves with the child through their spasm. They hope to give children badly needed relief from discomfort and a new-found independence.
Contents
What's the problem and who does it affect?
Frequent, frightening and painful spasms
Some of our most severely disabled children, with conditions such as dystonic cerebral palsy, suffer uncontrollable spasms that cause their whole body – arms and legs included – to straighten out suddenly and become totally rigid. Some children suffer many of these major spasms every hour, each causing much discomfort and pain lasting for many seconds. Standard chairs are normally extremely uncomfortable and scary for these children, and the chair’s rigidity is likely to exacerbate the spasms. Many children have a constant need to sit on someone’s lap, where they feel much more comfortable and safe. A parent or carer can allow the spasm to run its course without constraining the child, letting them extend and then gently returning them to a sitting position. An almost impossible bind For parents and carers, the constancy of care required can be overwhelming. Some end up taking turns, day and night, in a desperate attempt to keep the child comfortable. And without the ability to sit independently, it is difficult for the children to take part in other activities, such as school work or even just play.
What is the project trying to achieve?
Seats that move with the child during a spasm
The research team is developing a new type of seating system, which simulates the movement of a carer with a child on their lap. The seats have three hinged support surfaces – behind the back, under the upper leg and under the lower leg – that move with the child during the spasm, and then return them to their resting position as they relax. Early findings with prototype seats designed specifically for three severely disabled children are extremely promising. The children seem much happier, and more comfortable, in the new seats. The frequency of their spasms seems to decrease, and they have been able to sit independently for long periods for the first time in their lives In this study, researchers are refining the design of the seat, so that it can be adjusted to suit the needs of any disabled child who suffers severe spasms. They are also gathering solid clinical evidence on its potential benefits, by assessing its impact on the lives of three disabled children over a three-month period.
What are the researchers' credentials?
| Project Leader | Professor R Orpwood BSc |
|---|---|
| Project team | Ms Alison Wisbeach DipCO |
| Location | Bath Institute of Medical Engineering, University of Bath and Occupational Therapy Department, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children |
| Other locations | Occupational Therapy Department, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London |
| Duration | Three years |
| Grant awarded | 6 July 2007 |
| Start date | 1 August 2008 |
| End date | 30 November 2011 |
| Grant amount | £124,161.00 |
| Grant code | AP1115 |
The researchers stress that this is a team effort, involving multi-disciplinary problem analysis. Alison Wisbeach leads the Occupational Therapy Department at Great Ormond Street Hospital, a group that is world-renown for its pioneering work with children, and in dealing with particularly difficult cases. The group’s therapists have a thorough understanding of disabled children’s needs. The Project Leader, Professor Roger Orpwood, heads a leading group of engineers, at the Bath Institute of Medical Engineering, who are greatly experienced in interpreting patients’ needs to design accessible and effective pieces of equipment. Over the past 38 years, the Institute’s engineers have run over 300 projects, producing new equipment that has benefited many tens of thousands of users.
Who stands to benefit from this research and how?
Comfortable and liberating seating
The new seats are being specially designed for severely disabled children who find it so difficult, uncomfortable and frightening to sit on existing chairs that they spend much of their time, day and night, on someone’s lap. The children suffer from extensor spasms, which cause their whole body to stretch out rigidly. Most have a form of cerebral palsy. Researchers hope to develop a seat that can be configured to suit the individual requirements of every child who needs it. In the future, it may be possible to modify the seats for adults. Preliminary findings suggest the seats may prove so comfortable that the children may be able to sit for long periods, without the support of a parent or carer, for the first time in their lives. If children and their parents can break free from the restrictive bind of needing to sit together, they could get on with other things in life, like play, schooling and work. The increased comfort and freedom could be totally life-changing for all concerned.
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