cabarne4

Trick question. We’re all dead on the inside.

Not an expert, but kids minds are like sponges. They learn incredibly quickly. I have no doubt in my mind that an average child could learn how to use a prosthetic fairly quickly, but the speed of learning is obviously dependent on the child.

There are tons of studies on things like language learning, that show just how young minds learn and develop. Most skills are learned through repetition / reinforcement. By giving the child basic tasks (blocks to stack, coloring, etc), a child could easily learn how to use a prosthetic arm.

Sorry, not OP. Just have read a lot of research about kids ability to learn. I actually went to a Spanish-speaking elementary school in the US, so I have some personal experience with how quickly kids learn.

Under 12 months, it's mostly learning basic motor skills. Depending on the control the kid has in the remaining limb, it's possible the kid could learn control of a prosthetic -- "move this muscle, and the hand closes". Early exposure is good, but under 12 months, it'd be pretty dependent on the kid's ability to learn. Certainly possible for a kid to learn control of a prosthetic though..

Also to note: Kids do a LOT of growing. You'd have to constantly be making new sockets as the kid grew older. Maybe OP could design a sort of clam shell socket, that'd have some adjustment in it, allowing for longer use of the same socket.

I'm on mobile right now, so it's difficult for me to share sources, but if you're interested in the topic, a simple search will show you hundreds / thousands of studies on how quickly kids learn, at what ages certain skills are able to be learned, and more. I don't recall the specific numbers, but some studies go into detail about when a child begins to grasp the concept of language, and absorb it via listening and repeating.

I was in a motorcycle accident in 2016 and had a similar external fixation on my left leg. Eventually got the leg amputated last July.

Question: how’s the diagnosis? Mine was a shattered tibia / fibula and extensive nerve and vascular damage. How’s recovery looking so far?

Wishing you a speedy recovery. If you need anything, let me know!

After 3 years of limb salvage, losing the leg has been amazing! It’s only been 8 months and now I can run again, play sports, lift weights, etc. Wasn’t able to do any of that stuff the past 3 years. Sounds like my nerve / vascular damage might have been more severe than yours.

And because I’m an idiot, I’m already back to riding motorcycles!