Developmental Approach to Pediatric Prosthetic Evaluation and Training

Abstract

At the Child Amputee Prosthetics Project (CAPP) at the University of California in Los Angeles, treatment of children with limb deficiencies is based on the principles of normal child development. The child’s own developmental progress guides the timing of the first passive prosthetic fitting and later on the activation of the terminal device.1–3 The CAPP staff has long been a proponent of early prosthetic fitting. The philosophy is adhered to by many clinics, but clinicians differ in their definition of the word “early.” Sypniewski reported that early prosthetic fitting for the child with a unilateral below-the-elbow deficiency is a dominant theme in the literature and discussed the different rationale for each point of view.