{"id":2352,"date":"2015-09-14T14:46:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-14T14:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/developmenttwo.marymount.edu\/blog\/marymount-professor-and-student-outfit-child-with-special-car\/"},"modified":"2015-09-14T14:46:00","modified_gmt":"2015-09-14T14:46:00","slug":"marymount-professor-and-student-outfit-child-with-special-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marymount.edu\/blog\/marymount-professor-and-student-outfit-child-with-special-car\/","title":{"rendered":"Marymount Professor and Student Outfit Child with Special Car"},"content":{"rendered":"

Four-year-old McKenna Card loves to chase her older brother around the driveway, something that didn\u0092t seem possible until a student and professor from Marymount University provided her with a modified toy car. That\u0092s because McKenna suffers from FOXG1 Syndrome, a rare genetic mutation that affects her brain development, making it difficult for her to communicate and move. Her mother said about 150 people in the world have the syndrome.<\/p>\n

\u0093The first time we saw McKenna she was completely nonverbal,\u0094 said Dr. Skye Donovan, who chairs Marymount\u0092s physical therapy department.<\/p>\n

Donovan and Cassidie Watson, a student from Manorville, New York, were observing the little girl so they could make adjustments to the off-the-shelf car. Things changed when they returned after adding a giant red button that McKenna could push to make the car go.<\/p>\n

\u0093We put her in it, and she just went for it,\u0094 said Watson, who earned her bachelor\u0092s degree in health sciences in the spring and is now in Marymount\u0092s Doctor of Physical Therapy program. \u0093McKenna was laughing and we were kind of shocked because she did it so easily. It was really humbling to know that I could make someone so happy without much effort. It opened my eyes to the possibility of working in pediatrics.\u0094<\/p>\n

Donovan was moved to tears.<\/p>\n

\u0093These devices can make a huge difference and it was great to have a student see that,\u0094 she said. \u0093Something she did for an honors project and a grade had a huge impact on a child. It was also great for me as a faculty member.\u0094<\/p>\n

A friend of Donovan\u0092s, Cole Galloway, a pediatric researcher and designer at the University of Delaware, came up with the idea of modifying toy cars to provide mobility to children who have trouble moving on their own. Since then, his GoBabyGo concept has spread across the country.<\/p>\n

Donovan said the total cost of McKenna\u0092s car \u0096 with modifications \u0096 was $120.<\/p>\n

Playing with her 5-year-old brother, Ryley, in the driveway of their Fairfax home is just one benefit the car provides McKenna.<\/p>\n

\u0093It provides more freedom and independence,\u0094 McKenna\u0092s mother, Kasey Card, said. \u0093She can move herself. It\u0092s also nice to have another activity that can keep her entertained.\u0094<\/p>\n

The Marymount team connected with McKenna through her physical therapist, Amy O\u0092Malley, at Good Beginnings, where McKenna has received physical therapy since she was seven months old.<\/p>\n

\u0093They\u0092re always thinking about what they can be doing,\u0094 Kasey Card said. \u0093This is a little out-of-the-box. It\u0092s more about participation and inclusion.\u0094<\/p>\n

Kasey said the car\u0092s button reinforces some of the things McKenna is learning at her special education preschool, where she also receives physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. Her therapists are hoping she\u0092ll eventually be able to communicate by answering \u0093yes\u0094 or \u0093no\u0094 with buttons.<\/p>\n

\u0093She\u0092s showing emerging skills,\u0094 said Kasey. \u0093She\u0092s slowly learning to crawl, though right now it\u0092s more like knee-hopping and scooting. The car has been a positive experience. The social aspect of it is the biggest thing.\u0094<\/p>\n

Overall, McKenna is a healthy, happy child and Kasey Card said she and her husband, Kurt, are grateful for that.<\/p>\n

This car is only the beginning for Marymount\u0092s Department of Physical Therapy. Donovan said they have a list of six other clients they plan to help.<\/p>\n

\u0093For every child, every car will have to be different to meet their needs,\u0094 Donovan said.<\/p>\n

Donovan hopes to start a rehabilitative technology club at Marymount and to bring therapists in for workshops.<\/p>\n

\u0093Our goal is to teach others how to do this,\u0094 Donovan said. \u0093That way many more children can be served.\u0094<\/p>\n

McKenna\u0092s family has started a fundraising page for FOXG1 at https:\/\/www.crowdrise.com\/McKennasFOXG1Fundraiser<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\nPhoto Captions:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Photo 1
\nKasey Card guides her daughter, McKenna, in the toy car that a Marymount University professor and student modified for her to use.<\/p>\n

Photo 2
\nMcKenna Card drives the toy car that was adapted for her use. \u0093It provides more freedom and independence,\u0094 said her mother, Kasey Card. \u0093She can move herself. It\u0092s also nice to have another activity that can keep her entertained.\u0094<\/p>\n

Photo 3
\nMcKenna Card, 4, is all smiles as she drives her toy car while her mother, Kasey Card, watches. McKenna suffers from FOXG1 Syndrome, a rare genetic mutation that affects her brain development, which makes it difficult for her to communicate and move.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Four-year-old McKenna Card loves to chase her older brother around the driveway, something that didn\u0092t seem possible until a student and professor from Marymount University provided her with a modified toy car. That\u0092s because McKenna suffers from FOXG1 Syndrome, a rare genetic mutation that affects her brain development, making it difficult for her to communicate […]<\/p>\n

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