Brenden Bolen’s Mater truck wasn’t a birthday present, but the plastic ride-on vehicle was a gift of another sort – it enabled the two-year-old to be in the middle of the fun with the guests at his party.
For Brenden, who has cerebral palsy, Mater is more than a toy. It’s an avenue to the socialization and exploration he would otherwise miss out on. It’s an entrée into the world of kids. It’s the first step toward turning him into a knucklehead.
And when you’re two years old, you’re supposed to be a wonderful knucklehead.
His customized car has opened the door for Brenden to interact with other toddlers at UD’s Early Learning Center. At home, it’s enabled him to play ball with his dad and pet a therapy dog from Paws for People.
“He absolutely loves it,” says his mother, Kimmy Burge. “His favorite thing is to go outside with the car, and all of the kids think it’s great that he has Mater.”
Prof. cole Galloway sees family involvement as a critical element in driving success.
“It’s best when not only the parents but also the grandparents and the rest of the extended family play an active role,” he says. “In Brenden’s case, his family took the reins and floored us with how fast they wanted to move forward.”
Galloway likens the racecar project to Habitat for Humanity on a miniature scale. “Adapting a car to meet the child’s needs is a chance to become invested in building something,” he says. “Families can actively participate – helping modify the car allows them to physically work to help their child.”
Mater is part of research that tracks Brenden’s progress quantitatively, and his mother already has anecdotal evidence that the car is driving Brenden’s development.
“I’ve seen big changes in him since he started driving Mater,” she says. “He’s more alert, he reaches more and he has better head and trunk control. When he gets in the car, he knows exactly what to do.”
Kimmy realizes that Brenden will soon outgrow Mater, but she’s not worried. “After seeing how it’s done in the lab at UD, I know we can adapt another, larger car ourselves,” she says. “And i’m sure they’d be happy to help us – they’ve been extremely accommodating to us throughout this whole process.”