Kevin Is a 17-Year-Old Adolescent with Athetoid Cerebral Palsy

Kevin is a 17-year-old adolescent with athetoid cerebral palsy. Kevin participates in many aspects of his school day in a typical classroom with his peers, but he goes to a special education resource room for tutoring. For the past 5 years, he has been using a manual wheelchair with a sling back and seat that belonged to his deceased grandmother. The footrests have been removed. He frequently complains of a back pain and has to be repositioned in his wheelchair because he slides out. He is often observed hanging over the left armrest of his wheelchair. He is dependent on others to push his current wheelchair to all activities at school, though he can move backward using his feet and his extensor tone. He has a ring walker that he uses sometimes to move through the halls, but he is often late for class. Kevin is nonverbal, but he uses his eyes and hand to answer "yes" and "no" questions. His scores on IQ tests are in the low 80s. The school team is asking for your input regarding assistive technology that might assist Kevin to achieve his educational goals. His primary goals include (1) easier and faster movement on his own, (2) making money, (3) dating, and (4) going to college to become a history teacher.
-Which of the following positioning (seating) changes would be your best recommendation for Kevin using his current mobility base?

A) Keep the sling seat, but provide a planar back with lateral trunk supports.
B) Keep the sling back, but provide a planar seat and swing-away lateral trunk supports.
C) Provide a firm, possibly contoured, seat and back with pelvic positioning belt and footrests.
D) Leave the sling seat and back and provide a pelvic positioning belt and footrests.
E) Provide a recline (open seat-to-back angle) feature to allow for pressure relief throughout the day.