Physical therapists, over the years, have attempted to find the most beneficial type of treatment for children that have Cerebral Palsy (CP) to decrease their activity limitations and participation limitations. Eventually, the implementation of assisted devices (AD) for cerebral palsy patients showed significant results, and due to these results being so substantial the government decided to get involved by creating Acts throughout history to promote such use. By 2004, the government created The Individuals with Disability Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) which “replaced the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (EAHCA), which was renamed as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1990 (IDEA), which was amended in 1997 and 2004.” That same year, The Assistive Technology Act of 2004 (ATA) was created, and had goals to “make assistive technology accessible and affordable” to help people with disabilities to “live independently, benefit from an education, and pursue meaningful careers.”
Throughout history, many studies have been done to determine which assistive device is most beneficial to help interventions, as well as most efficient during everyday activities. There are many different brands, types, and styles of ADs including exercise aids, functional aids, and trainers. Furthermore, each case of CP can require different ADs, and prescribing an AD is considered to be a case-based deciding factor. Due to the amount of variables that can be present, it is difficult to compare and contrast different ADs because it varies for every patient, but what can be done is locate research on possible ADs, and compare the results and benefits of each article. Three research articles that were reviewed on this topic include:...
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...y and teach normal gait patterns would be a gait trainer and a walker. A gait trainer is a “modified treadmill technology which is provided by instrumented deck that monitors and records specific gait parameters including step length, walking speed, right-to-left time distribution (step symmetry) and ambulation index. The gait trainer is designed to provide both audio and visual feedback for patient compliance.” All of these factors are used to determine which part of a normal gait pattern the child is missing. In this randomized control trial, two groups received the same traditional physical therapy exercise program, but one group had the gait trainer added to their treatment to notice any substantial change. The experimental group increased tremendously in all aspects of gait, and “showed a significant improvement as compared with those in the control group.”
There are many individuals who contribute to the education of the student with special needs. Their roles and responsibilities are varied, and each play an important part in the education of the student with disabilities. In the early years of special education, individuals with disabilities were not educated in the traditional classroom. Many of the students were left at home to be taught by their parents, or, sent away to institutions if the families were unable to care for them. In addition, some were education in private schools at the cost of the families. It was not until the 1970’s that special education became acceptable in the public schools. The passing of legislation made it possible for all students to have a right to a free and public education, regardless of their disabilities. The individual with disabilities education act (IDEA) opened the door to education for all students and therefore a change in special education.
Lam, Tania. Et al. "Using Robot-Applied Resistance to Augment Body-Weight--Supported Treadmill Training in an Individual With Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury." Physical Therapy 91.1 (2011): 143-51. Print.
Mattern-Baxter, K.. (2010). Locomotor Treadmill Training for Children With Cerebral Palsy. Orthopaedic Nursing, 29(3), 169-175.
The effects of multiple disabilities are often both multiplicative and interactive. Cerebral Palsy is a disability that originates from damage to the central nervous system, but which is often accompanied by sensory, communication, orthopedic, learning and cognitive abilities. The complex nature of cerebral palsy is related to differences in causation and the nature and degree of motor involvement. In this paper, Cerebral Palsy will be defined and described, followed by discussion of conditions that frequently occur with this disability. A description of the impact of cerebral palsy on physical and communication development will also be discussed.
insurance coverage is important and can be obtained through government sources, employer benefit programs, or private providers.)
According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, “supporting the development and use of technology, including assistive technology devices and assistive techn...
Prior to 1975, educational options for a child living with a mental or physical disability were limited. The family of the handicapped child was most likely forced down an path that lead to the institutionalization of the child and distancing the child from the benefits of receiving a free and public education. It was after federal legislation passed the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. § 1983) that monumental changes began to develop that allowed a better understanding of the needs and capabilities of people with various handicapping conditions. Soon after this legislation, Public Law 94-142, also known as the Education for all Handicapped Children’s Act of 1975 (EHA) would further increase the public awareness by providing a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for children suffering from disabilities. Following the EHA legislation reformations concerning the education of disabled individuals would soon become numerous and legislative acts were passed enabling accommodations for disabled individuals in the fields of vocations and technology. In 1990, President Gerald Ford signed legislation replacing P.L. 94-142 with the Individual with Disabilities Education Act of 1990 (IDEA, 20 USC 1400). By definition, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation (US Department of Education, 2011).
As an occupation in the medical field, physical therapists have a very long strenuous list of duties. That list includes working with patients with limited use of their bodies due to injury or disability and improving mobility while reducing pain. Physical therapists provide care to people of all ages who have functional problems such as sprains, strains, fractures, arthritis, amputations, stroke, cerebral palsy, other injuries relating to sports, other injuries relating to work, other neurological disorders, and various other conditions. Some ways that physical therapist go about reducing pain levels of their patients is by using exercises, stretching, hands on therapy, and special equipment that is designed to help increase their mobility, prevent further injury, and smooth out the...
Riviere, A. Assistive Technology: Meeting the Needs of Adults with Learning Disabilities. Washington, DC: NALLD, 1996. (ED 401 686)
Katsioloudis, P. J., & Jones, M. (2013). Assistive technology: Fixing humans. Technology & Engineering Teacher, 72(7), 26-31.
Physical therapy has five sub-specialty practices: orthopedic, geriatric, neurological, cardiopulmonary and pediatric (“Welcome”). A geriatric physical therapist studies and focuses on the unique movement needs of older adults. These therapists usually give out treatments for conditions such as arthritis, cancer, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, joint replacement and balance disorders (“Welcome”). Geriatric physical therapy is used to help restore mobility, help with physical limitations and reduce pain for older adults. The second sub-specialty practice is neurological physical therapy, which obviously focuses on neurological conditions and impairments. Alzheimer’s disease, brain injury, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease and strokes are just a couple of the neurological conditions that licensed neurological physical therapists work with. There are not many ways to physically improve nerves, but these therapists try their best for their patients. They concentrate on teaching their patients to adapt to visual, balance, mobility, and muscle loss impairments for daily living (“Welcome”). The third sub-specialty practice is cardiopulmonary therapy. This physical therapy practice focuses on helping people who have suffered from cardiovascular and pulmonary conditions; it is also used to help increase endurance and improve functional independence. Pediatric physical therapy is
There are three-foot movements in gait the heel rocker, ankle rocker, and forefoot rocker. The heel rocker starts when the foot makes initial contact or heel strike with the ground and ends at foot flat. This is where the ankle is usually at ninety degrees of plantar flexion and it is the motion that is typically blocked by the AFO’s (331). The ankle rocker is the second movement in the gait pattern. It is when the foot is in full contact with the ground and ends at heel off. Then the forefoot rocker begins which is the third foot movement in the gait pattern. The forefoot rocker begins at heel off and it continues until the foot is off of the ground. At this point during gait the toes start to extend about fifty-five degrees before the foot leaves the ground (331). Extending the toes during gait helps allow the body to move forward over the foot. So if the forefoot rocker is blocked during gait the child may not be able to move forward. The child may compensate by shortening the foot length or doing inversion or eversion of the foot (332).
Before meeting Eric Walker, and his family, I didn’t really have very much experience or knowledge of what it meant to have a child or sibling with Cerebral Palsy. Meeting with Eric, and his family, along with his speech therapist not only gave me an insight into what it really means to live with a disability and to care for a child with a physical disability, but also the opportunity for me to apply what I have learned in this class and other classes to a real life situation.
Assistive technology is often used by individuals with a learning disability. A learning disability “describes a neurobiological disorder in which a person’s brain works or is structured differently” (Lee1). A person’s abilities can be severely affected from a learning disability. They may listen differently, talk differently, write, spell, organize, and work with school subjects in a different way. Learning disabilities also affect people’s individual and personal lives to a great extent. According to the National Institutes of Health, one in seven children has a learning disability. The disability manifests itself when the child shows difficulty in reading, writing, spelling, and conversing with others. The added time they need to process information may make them seem less intelligent then others around them, but this is not the case. Individuals with learning disabilities are just as smart as anyone else; they just need to learn in a different way. The earlier a learning disability is noticed and detected, the earlier a child may be able to learn how to deal with or compensate for it (Lee 1). This is where assistive technology comes into play.
... CLD info sheets: assistive technology. Council for Learning Disabilities. Retrieved on April 24, 2005, from http://www.cldinternational.org/c/@CS_yKIo7l8ozY/Pages/assistive.html