This text-based course is a transcript of the webinar, The Importance of Early Mobility, presented by Michelle L. Lange, OTR, ABDA, ATP/SMS.
Michelle Lange: We will be focusing on the importance of providing early mobility for some of our youngest clients, the developmental implications of doing so, and the research that backs that up. As we go through, we will be discussing some resources that summarize the very latest in the research that is available on this topic. Some of this information is also a compilation of expert opinion.
Importance of Early Mobility
Early mobility is very important. Typically, early mobility onset occurs at a very young age when children start rolling around the floor and then quickly followed by scooting and crawling. Those typical developmental milestones are clearly linked to key developmental milestones in the area of cognition, vision, psychosocial development, etc. Yet despite the fact that we know how important early mobility is to a typically developing child, power mobility is often not recommended for very young children who lack mobility. The main reasons that this is not recommended are concerns for motor development, concerns the child will not understand the task or would do something unsafe, and concerns about funding. No one will pay for this.
