Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- 1 Background to community neurological rehabilitation
- 2 Neurological rehabilitation – basic principles and models of delivery
- 3 Models of disability
- 4 Concepts of community
- 5 The views of disabled people
- 6 Outcome measures and research in the community
- 7 Evidence base for community neurological rehabilitation
- 8 Lessons from the south
- 9 Other aspects of community neurological rehabilitation
- 10 Community rehabilitation in childhood: concepts to inform practice
- 11 Neuropsychological rehabilitation in the community
- 12 The way forward
- Index
- References
10 - Community rehabilitation in childhood: concepts to inform practice
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 August 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- 1 Background to community neurological rehabilitation
- 2 Neurological rehabilitation – basic principles and models of delivery
- 3 Models of disability
- 4 Concepts of community
- 5 The views of disabled people
- 6 Outcome measures and research in the community
- 7 Evidence base for community neurological rehabilitation
- 8 Lessons from the south
- 9 Other aspects of community neurological rehabilitation
- 10 Community rehabilitation in childhood: concepts to inform practice
- 11 Neuropsychological rehabilitation in the community
- 12 The way forward
- Index
- References
Summary
Introduction
Jenna is a 6-year-old girl, the second of two children of a mother who is 29 and her 32-year-old husband. Jenna was born unexpectedly at 30 weeks gestation following an uneventful pregnancy, and experienced a variety of perinatal difficulties requiring a stay in the special care baby unit. Following discharge she was seen regularly at a newborn follow-up clinic, where her developmental progress was monitored carefully. At 8 months Jenna's motor development was ‘slow’ and she appeared somewhat ‘stiff’. At 1 year of age, adjusting for her prematurity, she was thought to have ‘cerebral palsy’, the prognosis of which was uncertain. At 2 years her language was ‘delayed’, but at 3 she had caught up with speech. She entered school at the usual age but needed special help with mobility, and some extra attention for her learning. Throughout this period from birth to age 6 Jenna's family saw a succession of professionals, received extensive but at times conflicting information and advice, and sought the latest news about therapies from the internet.
How might one approach the ‘rehabilitation’ needs of Jenna and her family? What are realistic goals, and how should they be achieved? What is Jenna's prognosis, and on what evidence is any judgement based?
To understand the ‘rehabilitation’ of children with disabilities professionals need to be familiar with several conceptual underpinnings that distinguish children's needs from those of adults. The purpose of this chapter is to outline and explain these concepts.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Community Rehabilitation in Neurology , pp. 196 - 211Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2003