Pediatric OT and PT for Children with Cerebral Palsy

Research will be published on the focus and amount of pediatric occupational and physical therapy services for 399 children, ages 2-6 years old, with cerebral palsy.  Parents completed a questionnaire over the telephone with therapists reporting the child's Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level.  The results indicated the following regarding the amount of services:

• children who received educational and clinical services had greater mean minutes per month for OT and PT services
• mean minutes per month of OT and PT were greater for children GMFCS Levels IV and V than Level I
• mean minutes per month of OT and PT were higher in the US than Canada

Parents reported that pediatric therapy services focused on the following:

• moderate to great extent on primary impairments, secondary impairments, activity, and structured play activities 
• moderate extent on environmental modifications and equipment 
• moderate to small extent on self-care routines

Reference:  Palisano RJ, Begnoche DM, Chiarello LA, Bartlett DJ, McCoy SW, Chang HJ. Amount and Focus of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy for Young Children with Cerebral Palsy. Phys Occup Ther Pediatr. 2012 Sep 7. [Epub ahead of print]