UAMS/UA Go Baby Go Program Expands to Serve More Children
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By Ben Boulden
The Go Baby Go project in Northwest Arkansas recently completed its second year of operation, expanding its reach and refining its approach to providing modified electric ride-on cars to children with mobility challenges.
The program, a collaboration between the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and the University of Arkansas (UA), held its first event in October 2024, distributing three cars to families. This year, the project scaled up to provide five cars and held its “distribution day” event for the families on Saturday, Oct. 25.
GoBabyGo has formally recognized 25 branches in the United States, with the closest branches to Northwest Arkansas being in Lincoln, Nebraska, and St. Louis. Before 2024, local families seeking GoBabyGo aid were being referred to branches more than 300 miles away.
A key change this year was the restructuring of the student training process. Students, including those from the Biomedical Engineering Student Association, the World Health Organization of Engineering, and Biomedical and Mechanical senior design projects now go through a series of hands-on training stations to learn how to modify the cars.
“We changed up the training process so the students had a training day in late August during which they learned how to modify the cars,” said Amanda Troillett, OTD, a UA faculty member overseeing the project. “Because not everyone involved in this project are health care professionals, we have to include some training for how to communicate with patients and how to do seating assessments.”
Faculty, clinicians and students conducted the assessments and modified the ride-on cars. Those involved were from the UAMS/UA Occupational Therapy program, the UAMS Physical Therapy program, the UA College of Engineering and the UA Biomedical Engineering Department. Both the Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy programs are part of the UAMS College of Health Professions.
Troillett said the program aims to enhance student learning opportunities and provide a better experience for the children.
“It really is a balancing act of mine because I want it to be a good experience for the kids, but also, I want it to be a great experience for my students,” she said. “I want them to see the value of working with other disciplines, even outside of health care professionals. And I want them to see the value of parental input.”
The first year of the program demonstrated the value of this interdisciplinary approach. After the initial event, students shifted their focus from the mechanics of the cars to the impact on the families. This led to new research projects, including a capstone project by an occupational therapy doctoral student exploring the family experience of using the cars.
The modified vehicles are not just for fun; they are also a therapeutic tool. Troillett said the cars provide a whole new experience for the children in terms of vestibular input and navigating their environment.
One of the cars was adapted to hold a screen that lets a non-verbal child communicate.
“Anytime you have movement, it elicits speech production,” she said. “Then you add in the increased mobility and ability to move around in one’s environment and go up to other children, so that then increases the social communication opportunities.”
Families participating in the program have used the cars in various settings including community outings and therapy sessions.
“The families can spend time doing something that is therapeutic but not so structured,” she said. “But the benefits can almost be greater.”
The Go Baby Go project is made possible through partnerships with local organizations, including Adventure Subaru, which has sponsored the program for the past two years, and Kiefer Sage, a local manufacturing and assembly company that sent a team out to help assemble one of the cars. The project’s success is also a testament to the support from university leadership.
“[College of Health Professions] Dean Susan Long said, as long as you can show me that students are learning from this experience, she was on board,” Troillett said. “So, I always appreciate her willingness to support student learning.”
The program is open to any child with mobility limitations, regardless of their specific diagnosis. Program participants so far included children with cerebral palsy, spina bifida and other neurological conditions.
“I think this is just a really fun way to support our families, to be more active and have more opportunities to do things together and get out in our community,” Troillett said.
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- One of the cars was adapted to hold a screen that lets a non-verbal child communicate.
