ClinicalTrials.gg
Not yet recruitingNCT07876219DRIVEUpdated Oct 15, 2026

Dynamic, Real-world Learning, Innovative Mobility, and Versatile Exploration (DRIVE): Evaluating a Dose-matched Developmental Powered Mobility Intervention for Young Children With Cerebral Palsy

An interventional study of Permobil Explorer Mini and MORE-PT in Cerebral Palsy, sponsored by University of Washington. Not yet recruiting at 2 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 12 Months to 33 Months. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-15.

Sponsored by University of Washington · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Updated Oct 15, 2026Newly registeredGo to Updates ↓
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
48
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
12 Months to 33 Months
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to understand the effects of developmental powered mobility intervention on global development, gross motor function, and activity performance outcomes in 48 young children (ages 1-2 years) with cerebral palsy (CP). The main question it aims to answer is:

Does the developmental powered mobility intervention produce greater improvements in global development and activity performance outcomes in young children with CP?

How will the developmental powered mobility intervention effect gross motor function?

Researchers will compare the developmental powered mobility (DPM) intervention to usual care physical therapy focused on movement, orientation, repetition, and exercise (MORE-PT) to see if DPM produces greater improvements in outcomes without impeding gross motor function.

Child Participants will:

Receive either DPM or MORE-PT twice weekly for 12 weeks in the home setting.

Complete assessments with the interventionist before and after the 12-week intervention and at a 6-month follow-up visit.

Caregiver participants will: Track outside therapies and any outside assistive device use completed during the intervention, in a weekly log.

02

Conditions studied

  • Cerebral Palsy

Keywords

  • At risk for cerebral palsy
  • Brain Damage
  • Chronic Brain Diseases
  • Central Nervous System Diseases
  • Nervous System Diseases
  • Cerebral Palsy
03

In context

Cerebral Palsy

1,891 studies on the registry are indexed under Cerebral Palsy; 439 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 48 is above the median of 34 across 1,396 interventional studies indexed under Cerebral Palsy.

Browse Cerebral Palsy studies →

Lead sponsor

University of Washington is the lead sponsor of 1,431 studies on the registry; 226 are open to participants now.

Of its 158 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 136 (86%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
12 Months to 33 Months
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

The child will:

  • be 12-33 months old at study enrollment
  • have a medical diagnosis of cerebral palsy or have high likelihood of a future cerebral palsy diagnosis based on birth history or current developmental status, with motor abilities consistent with the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) Levels II-IV
  • be able to maintain a sitting position with or without support while moving through space for 30 minutes
  • live in a household where English or Spanish are spoken proficiently

The adult will:

  • be 18 years or older and be the legal caregiver for the child participant
  • demonstrate proficiency in English or Spanish. Inclusion criteria will be secured via caregiver report using screening questions.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

The child will be excluded if:

  • they are greater than 33 months of age at enrollment (to ensure they complete the 12-week intervention prior to reaching the upper age recommendation for the Explorer Mini (36 months)
  • they already consistently use a power mobility device in the home
  • they do not have motor presentations consistent with GMFCS II-IV
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
48 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Developmental Powered Mobility

    Children randomized to this group will engage in home-based DPM activities using the Explorer Mini device, focusing on three main areas: tool use, exploratory perceptual motor experiences, and goal directed mobility.

    Device: Permobil Explorer Mini

  • Active comparator
    MORE-PT

    Children randomized to this group will engage in a home-based usual care physical therapy intervention, focusing on movement, orientation, repetition, and exercise-physical therapy.

    Other: MORE-PT

Interventions

  • DevicePermobil Explorer Mini

    The use of powered mobility devices for young children with cerebral palsy is increasingly recommended. The Permobil Explorer Mini is a pediatric powered wheelchair specifically designed for children 12-36 months of age that has been cleared by the FDA. The device can be driven in seated or supported standing and features a midline fixed joystick, can travel at 5 speeds, up to 1.5 mph maximum, and has a 360 degree turn radius. Specific training strategies for each child will be selected based on the learning phase of each child and associated facilitating strategies. Activities may include exploring the joystick and tray, exploring movement in different directions, or moving to and from specific people or places. Devices will not be kept at participant homes between visits to ensure dosing adherence.

  • OtherMORE-PT

    MORE-PT is comprised of traditional early intervention activities focused on strengthening, musculoskeletal alignment, and repetition of movement, and represents actual practice in early intervention. It is the only usual care intervention that has been standardized and fidelity-tested with this population in previous research, facilitating a rigorous dose-matched design and effectiveness comparison with DPM. Activities may include stretching and strengthening exercises, handling and postural cueing, and functional activities such as rolling, sit to stand, and crawling or cruising as appropriate.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Bayley Scales of Infant Development-4 (BSID-4)

    The Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID), 4th Edition is an internationally recognized, norm referenced set of tests designed to assess developmental domains from one month to 42 months of age. This BSID-IV assessment includes Cognitive, Receptive Communication, Expressive Communication, Gross Motor, and Fine Motor subscales. Each subscale has unique score value maximums, but on all subscales, higher scores mean a better outcome. Raw score scales are in increments of 1 and range from: Cognitive (0-81); Receptive Communication (0-42); Expressive Communication (0-37); Gross Motor (0-58); Fine Motor (0-46). Mean changes in Raw Scores are reported for each domain in this summary.

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up

Secondary outcomes

  1. Gross Motor Function Measure-66 (GMFM-66)

    The GMFM-66 is a criterion-referenced measure designed to assess change in gross motor function over time and response to intervention in children with CP from 5 months to 16 years across 5 subscales: Lying and Rolling; Sitting; Crawling and Kneeling; Standing; and Walking, Running, Jumping. Items within each subscale are scored individually using a 4-point ordinal scale (0 to 3), which is then converted into an interval-level total score using the Gross Motor Ability Estimator software.

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up

  2. Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM)

    The COPM is an individualized, family-centered assessment that used a semi-structured interview format to identify activities and issues that are important for a child and family. After identifying and prioritizing their top 5 activity limitations, caregivers rank their perceptions of their child's current level of performance and current level of satisfaction with this performance on a 1-10 scale. Averages are calculated for both performance and satisfaction with performance. A change of 2 or more points for either indicates a clinically significant improvement.

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (12 weeks), and 6-month follow-up

07

Study locations

2 sites
  • Grand Valley State University
    Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503, United States
  • Oregon State University
    Portland, Oregon 97201, United States
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

1 registry update since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Start is estimated for Jan 2027; primary completion for Sep 2030, 44 months later.

Of 882 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Cerebral Palsy, half reached primary completion within 12 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 5 and three quarters within 31. This study's planned 44 months is above that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 900 studies reached it within 12 months; a quarter within 5 and three quarters within 31.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Oct 8, 2026
First posted
Oct 15, 2026
StartEst.
Jan 2027
Primary completionEst.
Sep 2030
CompletionEst.
Sep 2030
Last update
Oct 15, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
Registered
First appeared on the registry. No changes since
Oct 15, 2026
Show all 1 update
  1. Oct 15, 2026
    First appeared on the registry

From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07876219
Responsible party
Heather Feldner (Associate Professor, Physical Therapy, University of Washington) — Principal investigator
First posted
Oct 15, 2026
Start date
Jan 2027 (estimated)
Primary completion
Sep 2030 (estimated)
Completion
Sep 2030 (estimated)
Last update
Oct 15, 2026

Study contacts

Heather Feldner, PhD
Contact
hfeldner@uw.edu
206-543-3721
Heather Feldner, PhD
principal investigator · University of Washington

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Oct 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion