Exploring the Unmet Need for Technology to Promote Motor Ability in Children Younger Than 5 Years of Age: A Systematic Review.
Amanda J Arnold, Joshua L Haworth, Victor Olivares Moran and 3 others
PMID 33543078WHAT IT FOUND
53 papers described technology for very young children with motor deficits.
Case study designs and studies with 11 to 50 participants each accounted for 34% of papers, and 75% of technologies were investigational.
Key findings
01The review included 53 articles about technology for children aged 0 to 5 years.
02Case study designs and studies with 11 to 50 participants each accounted for 34% of the papers.
03Most devices targeted walking and lower body movement, and 75% used investigational technology rather than commercially available technology.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The search used only PubMed, so devices reported in engineering or technology databases may have been missed. There was no publication date restriction, so older technologies may be included and the landscape could look different if only recent papers were counted. The review included papers with zero participants, case study designs, and very different sample sizes, so the percentages describe the types of papers included, not combined patient results. Many devices were investigational, which limits what families and clinicians can obtain today.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this review as showing that these technologies improve motor ability. Case study designs and studies with 11 to 50 participants each accounted for 34% of papers, many devices were investigational, and the review describes what has been studied rather than whether it works.