HI all,

Have lurked on these forums for a while now but am beginning to struggle with some questions so decided it was finally time to join in and ask for help.

My eldest (9yr old) has various medical problems, one of which is Congenital Myopathy which means his muscles are damaged and weak. He also has hip problems. At the moment he walks independently around the house and school but requires his wheelchair for longer distances. He is at a very small private school but in a year and a half he will be going to a HUGE sprawling comprehensive. We have been advised that a powered wheelchair could be the way to go in secondary school as he will struggle to walk all day the distances required.

The questions I have for you lovely, understanding parents is -

1. Is it a good idea, I worry it will separate him even more from his peers and how will he explain using an electric wheelchair to go round school and then jumping out of it for PE lessons?

2. Do we have any chance, at all, of getting one provided as he can walk? His manual wheelchair is provided by the local wcs but as his muscle problems are in his arms as well, he could not self propel for the whole day either.

3. Should I statement him as he has nothing in place due to being in a private school all this time?

Hope you understand my rambling and can offer up some advice and/or similar stories.

Thanks,

Zebadw

hi

i thinl a powered chair is the way forward. My daughter uses one and itd great for their independence not just in school but when you are going out for longer distances. Your local wheelchair services should provide a standard chair but be prepared for some battles regarding this maybe get your sons OT to help with this process?

he will need a statement if he is going to a non private school and i would get this started asap

hope this helps

I have worked with a lot of children who managed with a manual wheelchair or walker until they get to secondary school. Most of them used a powered chair due to the distance they needed to cover in their new school. It also meant they weren't arriving at the lesson exhausted. Wheelchair services provided the chair. Whizzkids is an option if you need to explore charitiable routes but they usually have a waiting list.

I would definately find out more about getting a statement to make sure he gets the help he needs.

Good luck

Thank you both for your replies. I am starting to look into statementing my son ready for his next school. Our OT has just sent a form into Whizz Children as he has just outgrown his current chair but it doesn't mention electric. We shall see where all this leads!