The Culture of Mobility for Young Children with Disabilities: An Intersection of Traditional Thinking, Technology and Toys
April 10, 2020
Sam Logan, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology and Director of the Social Mobility Lab and PlayTech Workshop in the College of Public Health & Human Sciences at Oregon State University.
Sam's research focuses on the health and well-being of typically developing children and children with disabilities. His recent work emphasizes the role of independent mobility in the development of language, cognition, play interactions, and motor behaviors of children with significant physical and cognitive diagnoses.
In this presentation Sam Logan, PhD presents a social justice approach to human movement, focusing on mobility as a fundamental right within the context of pediatric rehabilitation.
A traditional view of mobility places an overwhelming importance on the physical skill of walking. An emerging view of mobility highlights the potential of many mobility options to participate in everyday life.
This presentation will outline his work with modifying off-the-shelf, battery-operated ride-on toy cars for children with disabilities to use for mobility and play. Recently the Explorer Mini, a powered mobility device designed for children 12-36 months, became commercially available.
He will also highlight his initial findings from a multi-site trial involving children’s first driving experiences with this device.
He earned his PhD in Kinesiology from Auburn University. Prior to joining OSU in 2014, he completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the University of Delaware in the Department of Physical Therapy-Infant Motor Lab, where he served as the Project Manager for the Modified Ride-on Car Study.