Meeting Ashton’s transport needs
Finding a car seat that met Ashton's needs
Melbourne mum Sandy used to find it stressful and worrying to travel in the car with her then 14-month-old son Ashton, who has Down syndrome and uses a nasogastric tube, as his Australian standard car seat was not meeting his needs.
“We were constantly looking in the rear-view mirror making sure he’s OK,” Sandy said.
“Other than his specialist appointments I wouldn’t take him out in the car unless I had to.”
But thanks to the coordinated support of a network of professionals, it’s a very different story today. Ashton now travels easily and comfortably in a special purpose car seat.
“You just pop him in the car seat and off you go,” Sandy said.
Assessing and prescribing for Ashton's needs
The process of finding a suitable product for Ashton began with his occupational therapist, Lauren, who assessed his motor vehicle transport needs and prescribed a special purpose car seat.
Lauren was supported by MACA’s specialist training course, Clinical Assessment and Decision-Making for Motor Vehicle Transport, which is recommended for all allied health professionals who assess people’s transport needs.
“MACA’s training, and the resources in MACAhub Pro helped me to work together with Sandy to find the most suitable car seat for Ashton’s needs,” Lauren said.
The supplier of the special purpose car seat worked with Lauren to arrange a trial of the car seat with Sandy and Ashton.
The special purpose car seat that was selected was introduced by a local importer following independent crash testing by MACA’s Australian Safety and Assessment Program (AuSAP).
“We’re thrilled that, through AuSAP, we have been able to expand our special purpose car seat range,” said the product importer.
Lauren worked with Sandy to submit a funding application to the NDIS to purchase the special purpose car seats. The application was supported by comprehensive AuSAP information about the product’s safety and use, and was approved by the NDIS.
Once it arrived, the supplier met with Lauren and Sandy, installed the car seat and gave education to Sandy on installation and use. Lauren checked Ashton’s positioning and provided Sandy with education on how to safely transfer Ashton into and out of the car.
Travelling used to be stressful, but now we don’t have to think about it anymore.
