Page 87 - Handbook of Electronic Assistive Technology

74 HANDBOOK OF ELECTRONIC ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

FIGURE 3-19 Scoliosis of the spine�

POSITION OF THE HEAD
Is the person able to hold their head upright in a midline position? If not, are there any
reflexes which may be affecting this, e.g., ATNR? Does the person have altered muscle tone
which is affecting their head position?

WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION AND LOADBEARING
Assess where the person is taking weight through their buttocks. Is it symmetrical or
asymmetrical?

Assessment Out of Equipment in the Sitting Position
Always sit the person on a plinth or bench with their feet on the floor so that you can
assess their posture out of a wheelchair and how much support they require to achieve an
upright, functional posture. It may be helpful to ask yourself the following questions:
• Where are your hands supporting the person’s body?
• What are your hands doing? Are they correcting, providing stability or preventing
movement?
• How much force are you applying with your hands?
• In what direction are your hands applying the support?
• How much surface contact is required; a whole hand or less?
• What is the least amount of support needed?
• Why is this person sitting like this and is there an obvious cause?
Using Measurement Tools

Measurement tools are useful in capturing the postural ability of a person in a systematic
way. Examples of these are: the Chailey Levels of Ability (Pountney et al., 2004), which can