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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>MotherWhimsey</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/15422479"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">oh wow, so how do you get a custom back instead of the standard ones?</div>
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You have to order the wheelchair though a local DME to get custom seating. Most of them do custom seating and have their own preferred seating components. We used the local branch of National Seating & Mobility because they were the best pediatric DME locally. That may not hold true for your location so ask around you will find that one DME is usually recommended above all others for pediatrics.<br><br><div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>MotherWhimsey</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/15422479"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">did your seating clinic just find a back that fit both him and the chair and go with it?</div>
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They take custom measurements and then they select the best back that will fit him now and one that will allow enough growth for the coming years.<br><br><div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>MotherWhimsey</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/15422479"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">is the chair pretty easy to push?</div>
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For me no because the handles they used are low profile but that is part of the custom seating and you can just as easily get taller handles put on if you go to a DME that does custom seating vs just ordering out of a catalog. My son can propel it very well to give you an idea he has low tone and range of movement issues neither are severe but together are problematic. We first started to teach him to propel 6/09. He received his wheelchair 12/09 within weeks he was propelling across the room. Today I sometimes have to run to catch him because he has gotten so fast. When he does propel we peel away the laterals, chest restraints and arm rests because they impede his ability to reach the wheels. We put all those supports back in place if he is stationary.<br><br><div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>MotherWhimsey</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/15422479"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">why did you choose that one over the rest?</div>
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It was one of the lightest wheelchairs on the market and the back wheels could be moved forward enough to accommodate my son's range of motion. We could have chosen wheelchair with a reverse wheel configuration but decided against that after talking to an adult wheelchair user. She said he would have to lean too far forward and that would add more stress to his shoulders over time. I think she had one other objection to reverse configuration but I sorry don't remember what it was since the conversation took place a year ago.<br>
We also opted for a rigid frame wheelchair based on her advice because she said a folding frame has a bit of wiggle and absorbs some of the forward motion so the same arm movement will move a folding wheelchair less distance. Once again shoulder and arm wear down is important for self propellers since they use the upper extremities all the time. TiLite also has a trade up program as your child grows and needs a larger frame.<br><br><div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>MotherWhimsey</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/15422479"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">oh, and is there anything about it that really annoys you?</div>
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The handles being too low are one thing. It is only an issue if your child is still young enough that he would need his hand held in public if he were a walker. My son is pretty mentally delayed and I have to keep a hand on the chair at all times in crowds, traffic and parking lots. The handle is at a height that just isn't easily accessible. I also don't like how they have the chest strap bolted to the laterals. His old wheelchair the strap was bolted to the seat so I had the option of using just the laterals or just the straps. The way his seat is configured now I either have to use both or neither. Both of these issues are specific to the custom seating and not the wheelchair itself. The only disadvantage specific to the frame is the lack of tie down brackets for transport. It still has four points it can be tied down to a vehicle for transport in the wheelchair it is just easier to use brackets then to have to manually locate the tie down points. I also want to point out that I had to give up the tie down bracket to have a light weight sports chair that my son would be capable of pushing so it really depends on what your priorities are. I also checked with our school's transportation department and got it in writing that they need four tie down points on the frame and not dedicated tie down brackets so it wasn't a major issue for us.<br><br>
I will be back and post some picture links without my son in the chair. That way you can see what I am talking about. I worry without the pictures my descriptions might not be enough.
