Recruiting

Powered Mobility

Sponsor:

Oregon Health and Science University

Code:

NCT07220590

Conditions

Cerebral Palsy Children

Motor Disabilities

Developmental Disability

Rehabilitation

Early Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 1+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Therapist Training on Powered Mobility Implementation

Powered Mobility Intervention for Child-Caregiver Dyads

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a therapist training program can help providers in Part C Early Childhood Settings use powered mobility (PM) with young children who have cerebral palsy (Gross Motor Function Classification System Levels IV-V). The study will also look at whether this training is practical and useful for therapists, families, and children.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Can therapists successfully use the training to provide powered mobility interventions in home and early childhood settings?
2. Do families and children find the intervention acceptable and helpful?
3. What benefits do children show in mobility, participation, and engagement after using powered mobility?

In this study, therapists and families will:

1. Take part in a training program about how to use powered mobility with young children
2. Use powered mobility devices (Permobil Explorer Mini) with children during everyday routines
3. Complete surveys, interviews, and observations about their experiences

Conditions

Cerebral Palsy Children

Motor Disabilities

Developmental Disability

Rehabilitation

Early Intervention

Study ID

NCT07220590

Start date

Oct 1, 2025

Status verified date

Jun, 2026

Completion date

Jun 30, 2029

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Sep 30, 2028

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 1+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

Children:

1. Diagnosis of cerebral palsy or similar motor impairment
2. Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) Levels IV-V
3. Age 12 to 32 months at enrollment
4. Enrolled in early intervention services

Caregivers:

1. Parent or legal guardian of an enrolled child participant
2. Age 18 years or older
3. English- or Spanish-speaking
4. Able and willing to participate in home-based data collection, including caregiver coaching sessions, completion of surveys, and video-recorded sessions
5. Able to provide informed consent

Therapists:

1. Licensed physical therapist or occupational therapist
2. Employed at participating early intervention or early childhood special education settings
3. Provide services to children with cerebral palsy or motor delays
4. No prior powered mobility intervention training required
5. Willing to complete powered mobility implementation training and participate in study assessments

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Inability or unwillingness to provide informed consent
2. Inability to complete required study procedures

Study Design

Enrollment

70 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Non randomized

Intervention Model

Sequential

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Powered Mobility Intervention

This mixed-methods feasibility trial includes one experimental arm in which all participants receive the powered mobility intervention following a structured therapist training. Trained physical and occupational therapists participate in one to two days of in-person training to learn how to implement the intervention with children with cerebral palsy (GMFCS IV-V) and their caregivers in early childhood settings. Following training, therapists identify eligible child-caregiver dyads from their caseloads and conduct twelve biweekly home-based intervention sessions over six months. Each session focuses on mobility opportunities, caregiver coaching, and integration of powered mobility into daily routines using the Permobil Explorer Mini device. All sessions are video recorded for fidelity monitoring and qualitative analysis.

no intervention: Needs Assessment

Understanding barriers and facilitators to power mobility use through a mixed-methods approach: Survey, observations, and listening sessions/focus groups

no intervention: Co-designing Implementation Strategies

Prioritizing determinants, co-developing implementation strategies and evaluation measures, co-developing therapist training to be piloted in Aim 3.

Interventions

Therapist Training on Powered Mobility Implementation

Therapists participate in a structured, evidence-based training on implementing powered mobility interventions for children with cerebral palsy (GMFCS IV-V) in early childhood settings. Training consists of one to two days of in-person sessions focused on knowledge transfer, therapist confidence, self-efficacy, and use of caregiver coaching and routines-based strategies. The training is co-designed with a community advisory board of administrators, therapists, and caregivers to ensure contextual relevance and feasibility.

Powered Mobility Intervention for Child-Caregiver Dyads

Following therapist training, participating therapists deliver a six-month powered mobility intervention to children with cerebral palsy (GMFCS IV-V) and their caregivers. Therapists conduct twelve biweekly home-based sessions focused on providing mobility opportunities, caregiver coaching, and integration of powered mobility into daily routines. The intervention uses the Permobil Explorer Mini device to facilitate self-initiated mobility. All sessions are audio-video recorded for fidelity monitoring and qualitative analysis.

Primary outcome measure

  • Intervention Acceptability, Appropriateness, and Feasibility [ Time Frame: Post-intervention (after 6 months of intervention). ]
  • Therapist Knowledge Transfer, Confidence, and Self-Efficacy [ Time Frame: Pre-training and immediately post-training (within 1 week). ]
  • Caregiver Feasibility of Device and Strategy Use [ Time Frame: Biweekly during 6-month intervention period. ]
  • Therapist Intervention Fidelity [ Time Frame: Per intervention session throughout the 6-month intervention period. ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Bethany M Sloane, PT, DPT, PhD

503-494-3232sloaneb@ohsu.edu

Locations

Northwest Regional Education Service District

Recruiting

Hillsboro, Oregon, United States, 97124

Contacts

Rikkie Schley, M.S. CCC-SLP

971-393-3333rschley@nwresd.k12.or.us

Multnomah Early Childhood Program

Recruiting

Portland, Oregon, United States, 97230

Contacts

Ashleigh Walters

503-256-6500ashleigh_walters@ddsd40.org

More Information

Sponsor

Oregon Health and Science University

Last update posted

Jul 6, 2026

Last verified

Jun, 2026

Keywords

  • Power Mobility
  • Implementation Science
  • Community-engaged research
  • Caregiver coaching
  • Pediatric Rehabilitation

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Oregon Health and Science University on 2026-07-06.