Abstract
Telerehabilitation (TR) has been proven to be an effective tool in improving the adaptive skills of children and young adults with Multiple Disabilities (MDs). The application of a comprehensive set of new technologies reveals new opportunities for both physical and cognitive telerehabilitation, but there is no holistic approach in the case of genetic syndromes. In this paper we present reflections and early results of the TCTRS project that aims at implementing a telerehabilitation system capable of offering complete coverage of rehabilitation needs for people with Rett Syndrome, from both the physical and cognitive points of view. Moreover, the data acquired through the system can also represent a basis for machine learning applications to remotely support therapists and physicians. Our first tests on the system application show the great potential of our approach, in terms of feasibility and applicability, for both rehabilitation centers and families.
Highlights
The US Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) defines multiple disabilities (MDs) as “concomitant impairments, the combination of which causes such severe educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for one of the impairments”.People affected by MDs have severe difficulty in communicating their needs, in freely moving their body to access and engage their world, and in learning abstract concepts and ideas
Mutations in MECP2 gene are the main cause of Rett syndrome (RTT) disease, other mutations are associated with RTT, such as: FOXG-1 and CDLK-5 [17,18]
In the last few years, Airett has carried out several projects aiming at studying and applying new technologies and rehabilitation techniques to the physical and cognitive enhancement of patients affected by Rett Syndrome
Summary
The US Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) defines multiple disabilities (MDs) as “concomitant impairments (such as intellectual disability-blindness or intellectual disability-orthopedic impairment), the combination of which causes such severe educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for one of the impairments”. People affected by MDs have severe difficulty in communicating their needs, in freely moving their body to access and engage their world, and in learning abstract concepts and ideas They need support in major life activities (e.g., domestic, leisure, community use, vocational tasks). For these reasons, MDs require the intervention of multiple professionals, one from every identified disability area. Considering that traditional treatments for genetic syndromes, such as Rett Syndrome, Down’s syndrome, or Tourette’s syndrome, focus on specific cognitive and communication training, or physical and occupational therapy, considering the use of new rehabilitative approaches for genetic disorders (eye-tracker technologies and virtual reality), and considering the effectiveness of TR interventions in subjects with MDs, the need for adopting specific techniques to study the applicability of TR in genetic syndrome becomes crucial [10,11,12,13,14,15].
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