Therapeutic education of children with cerebral palsy

Abstract

Objective To assess a therapeutic education (TE) project in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Patients and methods Prospective study including children with CP randomized into two groups: the group G1 included children who underwent a rehabilitation associated to a TE, and the group G2 included children who underwent only rehabilitation. We realized two seminars, one week apart, of TE for parents (for children aged less than 6 years) and for children with their parents (for children aged more than 6 years). The program of TE included the definition of the CP, the interest of rehabilitation, self-rehabilitation, speech therapy and occupational therapy, the indications and the supervision of the orthotics. The educational tools used were audio-visual systems and pamphlets distributed to participants. The evaluation of TE seminars was carried out by a questionnaire performed at the end of each session. The assessment of G1 and G2 was realized one month, three months and six months after the seminars. It focused on the observance of rehabilitation, the duration of the orthotics use and the quality of life by the questionnaire “Cerebral Palsy Child-Quality of Life”. Results We have enrolled 47 children divided into G1 (23 children) and G2 (24 children). Both groups were homogeneous in terms of the severity of motor impairment and intellectual quotient. The gain was significantly better in G1 concerning the observance of rehabilitation ( P P P Discussion-conclusion Several publications have focused on the TE in chronic diseases such as diabetes and asthma [1] . But, at the best of our knowledge, no study was interested in TE of children with CP. Our study shows what TE has added to the adherence to treatment and the children and parents quality of life in CP.