First look at the power chair, C bombarded me with questions e.g. "is this a power chair?", "what colour is it?", "I can sit on it?", "I can drive?", "can I turn it on?", "where to press?" etc. He was obviously as excited as I was.
C's virgin pilot was quite hilarious. As he steered, the chair spun in circles. Techie held on to the chair to prevent it from going out of control while therapist broke C's grip on the toggle. This scenario was played over and over again. Instead of showing fear, C wore a cheeky grin on his face and 'drove' with zest. I couldn't tell if he was enjoying the ride or getting a kick out of those two hahaha.
Anway, here is the first video. To be honest, it was a lousy clip. In the midst of filming, things got out of hand and I had to ditch my phone to shift furniture out of his way.
Here's the last video after several attempts. He managed to control his grip better and went slow on cue. Still needs constant reminders and guidance. But I guessed he did well given that he's just 2yo. I'm sure more practice would help him get the hang of it.
After the trial and assessment, therapist concluded that C had more than enough strength to steer. She suggested we go with a US model power chair which has better compatibility with other parts and would allow for greater customisation mainly the headrest, base, harness, seat and expansion.
Now, we wait for vendor to gather the parts, assemble the demo set and to fix a date for the next trial at the warehouse. We will get to try the touchscreen interface too to determine which mode of control suits C best. Meanwhile, the acquisition of a suitable standing frame is also being looked into. It will take a while but surely getting there.
I got so happy looking at Caelen handling the power chair!! :)
ReplyDeleteWell done Caelen!! You are looking awesome!
Hope all goes well Lowell. Take care :)