P3.S367: Comparative video gait analysis of assistance for children with cerebral visual impairment (CVI)

Background: Cerebral visual impairment (CVI) is the leading cause of visual impairment in children in developed countries and is increasing in prevalence in developing nations. Visual impairment has been shown to negatively impact all aspects of life, including learning and development. Safe Toddles pediatric belt canes are essential mobility tools for pediatric patients because they give blind toddlers a head start to independence by combining independent walking ability and safety in addition to the potential for improved motor and cognitive development as well as long-term health benefits. This study sought to measure the mobility benefits of pediatric belt canes.

Methods: Videos of fifteen pediatric patients with CVI walking without and with the assistance of Safe Toddles pediatric belt canes were analyzed using the MediaPipe platform2 to perform gait analysis. Subsequent analyses included linear regression analysis and data smoothing to calculate metrics for foot mobility, approximate speed, step frequency, and estimated step lengths. T-testing was performed to compare the gait analysis metrics for patients with and without pediatric belt canes.

Results: Patients utilizing pediatric belt canes showed 71.5% increase in foot mobility, 86.1% increase in approximate speed, and 74.6% increase in step length (p < .05). No differences were observed in step frequency.

Conclusion: Pediatric belt canes lead to marked improvements in mobility for mobility visually impaired children, supporting the beneficial effects of utilizing pediatric belt canes in the care and management of such patients.