How Does Understanding Body Language Improve Child Prosthetic Care?

➡️ What’s new: University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Biomechanics Doctoral Candidate Kaitlin Fraser has received a grant from the Buffett Early Childhood Institute to enhance prosthetic care for children by better understanding nonverbal cues.

This project, led by Biomechanics Professor Jorge Zuniga, Ph.D., focuses on analyzing body language to better understand how young children interact with their prostheses, offering valuable insights for improving treatment plans and patient outcomes.

💡 Why it matters:

• Current prosthetic assessments rely heavily on indirect feedback from parents, akin to assessing a child's shoe fit without their direct input.

• Researchers aim to interpret nonverbal cues, helping children too young to articulate their experiences and provide feedback on their prosthetics.

• Evidence suggests children who view prosthetics as part of their body rather than a tool are more likely to use them effectively.

📈 Key stats:

• Approximately 1.6 million people are living with limb loss or limb difference (LLLD) in the United States, with children accounting for 1.6% of this total, or about 25,000 individuals, according to a recent study.

• According to a 2007 study on limb prosthesis abandonment, mean rejection rates of 45% and 35% were observed in the literature for body-powered and electric prostheses respectively in pediatric populations.

• Over half of children whom have access to prosthetics choose not to use them, which has been a steady rate for the past 40 years.

🔎 Zoom in: Getting feedback directly from young patients across a variety of conditions can be challenging, so research into body language analysis for prosthetic users may provide inspiration and insights for further research to improve healthcare for many more children, orthosis (devices that help with walking or balance) users, or nonverbal patients.

🎤 What they’re saying:

• Jorge Zuniga, Ph.D., lead researcher and Director of the Additive Manufacturing Laboratory: “Through this research, we are giving a voice to children who might not yet have the words to express their needs and experiences.”

• Kaitlin Fraser, a UNO doctoral candidate who secured the grant as part of a graduate fellowship: “Receiving this grant has been an incredible milestone in my journey as a doctoral candidate. It’s inspiring to know that our work could profoundly impact the lives of children using prosthetics, giving them a way to communicate their needs to guide future prosthetic design and training.”

✅ What’s next: The research team is actively recruiting participants with congenital limb reductions. Clinicians working with pediatric prosthetic users are encouraged to connect families interested in contributing to this study by contacting Kaitlin Fraser at kfraser@unomaha.edu.