Last modified: 2018-09-09
Abstract
Hand skills pattern is an important part for completing functional performance and occupational therapy treatments based on daily living performance. Most of the children with cerebral palsy (CP) face difficulties in their hand skills pattern due to abnormal tone, balance and coordination and can’t perform daily activities independently like normal children. There has limited knowledge of mothers understanding about their children’s hand skills pattern.
This study attempts to know the mothers’ evaluations towards hand skills pattern contributing to participate in daily living activities.
A qualitative content analysis was used through semi-structural interviews, included ten participants and purposive comprehensive sampling was used to select participants from inpatient pediatric unit.
In findings, mothers of cerebral palsy children have an excellent understanding about occupational therapy goals and outcomes at the ending of the rehabilitation program. They found realistic changes in their children’s hand skills pattern for example, started grasping, goal directed movements, attempts to hold the objects and bilateral movements. They thought that complex hand skills are time consuming and need long term hand therapies. In daily living performance, the intention changed and the children started eye hand coordination with goal directed movements in grasping pens, balls and blocks.
In conclusion, occupational therapists should explain about the effects of playing with different toys and grasping practices are linked with the hand skills pattern to perform daily activities.