[Android application based for caregivers of children with cerebral palsy]

Education via smart mobile phone and mobile health applications is a key element in e-learning. For the first time and in cooperation with occupational therapists and Health Information management specialists, an applied educational smart phone-based program was designed and implemented for mothering handling of children with cerebral palsy [CP] by caregivers. For this purpose, InteliJIDe application version 13 for android was used. This application includes sections of acquaintance with children with CP, principles of motor development in children with CP, feeding, dressing, toileting, bathing, sleeping, lifting and carrying, playing, anticonvulsant drugs, and about us. It is free and can be installed on smart mobile phones and Android tablets via Bluetooth. This application is an important step in easy, fast, and free access of families of children with CP to daily care information. It is hoped that this software resolve some of these families' problems

[Concept analysis of occupational therapy handling in the children with cerebral palsy: a hybrid model]

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the concept of occupational therapy handling in the children with cerebral palsy from the perspective of occupational therapy instructors and clinicians in Iran

Materials and Methods: In this qualitative study, using hybrid model to clarify the concept of handling through three phases. For the theoretical phase, attributes of handling were recognized through a review of the literature [until February 2014], and six in-depth semi - structured interviews, two observations and one panel of experts were conducted for the fieldwork to develop attributes from the data and to verify those identified from the literature review. In the third phase attributes and final analysis of handling were extracted from the first and second phase

Results: The results were classified in five main categories that were identified as: [1] care of child, [2] management of treatment, [3] manual techniques, [4] education of activities of daily living [ADL], and [5] lifting and carrying. Core attributes of handling include [control, safety, transfer and positioning]

Conclusion: It seems that the results of this study may help in clarifying the concept of handling in children with CP. In addition, by identifying the process, barriers and facilitative factors, and the concept of handling, occupational therapy instructors and therapists will be able to design and run their educational activities based on scientific findings which can provide them with the necessary conditions for education, learning and proper execution of handling in occupational therapy

[Investigation of quality of life in mothers of children with spinabifida based on children's hoffer ambulatory criteria]

Objective: Mothers of children with spinabifida spend more time to care for their children. Doing this care, depending on the child's functional mobility level can probably cause damage to physical and mental health of mothers. This study aimed to determine the quality of life [QOL] of mothers of children with spinabifida [SB], according to the Hoffer levels using the SF-36 questionnaire

Materials and Methods: This research was a descriptive- analitical, cross-sectional study. The sample of this study was consisted of mothers of children with SB [2/5- 14 years old], in Tehran. The sample were selected by convenience sampling in the Rehabilitation Outpatient Clinics of University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, that 203 mothers were assessed in one clinic. Primery measures were the Hoffer criteria for grouping and determine the levels of ambulation in children with SB and the outcome measure was SF-36 questionnaire. Data were analyzed using, t test, ANOVA and MANOVA in SPSS [version 18]

Results: In this study, there were significant differences in mean scores on the physical component summary [PCS] [P<0/01] and Mental component summary [MCS] of SF36 [P<0/01] in mothers of children with SB in Hoffer levels. The significant difference in PCS and MCS of SF36, was related to the level I with the other levels of Hoffer criteria, there were no Significant difference in mean score for the PCS and MCS the QOL of mothers for sex and child's age levels [P<0/05]. There were a significant differences in mean PCS and MCS a QOL of mothers in different types of SB [P<0/01]. This significant difference was related to aculta with meningocele and myelomeningocele [P<0/01]

Conclusion: The dimensions of PCS and MCS of SF36 of mother with SB were affected with types of SB and increasing the levels of Hoffer. In conclusion, Mothers of children with SB require paying attention to their QOL during treatment of the child. In addition, the services should be created to support the physical and psychological aspects of the QOL

Speech Intelligibility in Persian Children with Down Syndrome

Objectives: One of the most effective methods to describe speech disorders is the measurement of speech intelligibility. The speech intelligibility indicates the extent of acoustic signals that correctly speaker produces and hearer receives. The purpose of this study was to investigate the speech intelligibility in the Persian children with Down syndrome; age range was 3 to 5 years, who had spoken Persian.

Methods: This cross- sectional study investigates 12 children [6 girls and 6 boys] with Down syndrome who had referred to speech therapy clinic in Hamadan city and 12 normal children [6 girls and 6 boys] who went to the kindergarten in Hamadan city .The pictures of speech intelligibility test [in Persian language] were used to collect speech samples of participants. The participant's voice was recorded by voice recorder and was investigated in two age groups.

Results: The results of this study indicated the means of speech intelligibility was 92.25 for normal children and 35.08 for children with Down syndrome. The correlation between age and speech intelligibility for normal children was 0.866 and for children with Down syndrome was 0.352. The mean of speech intelligibility 2 for normal boys was 93 and for normal girls 91.5 and for boys with Down syndrome 34.66 and for girls with Down syndrome 35.5.

Discussion: The difference between normal children and children with Down syndrome was Significant. One of the factors that affect speech intelligibility for children with Down syndrome is difficulty with voluntarily programming, combining, organizing, and sequencing the movements necessary for speech.

[ efficacy of botulinum toxin type A injection in the hamstring and calf muscles with and without serial foot casting in gait improvement in children with cerebral palsy]

The goal of this study was to compare the efficacy of botulinum toxin type A [BTX-A] injection in the hamstring and calf muscles with and without ankle serial casting in the improvement of gait in children with cerebral palsy [CP]. This double-blind prospective clinical trial was performed on 25, 2 to 8-year-old children with hemiplegic or diplegic CP in Tehran, Iran in 2010. The participants were chosen by simple randomized sampling and were matched for age, gross motor function classification system [GMFCS] and type of CP and were randomly divided into two groups: children in the first group [13] only received BTX-A injection, but the second group [12] received BTX-A and serial foot casting starting one week after the injection. Comparison of the gross motor function, right and left knee spasticities and passive ROM of both knees between the two groups before and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after the injections were not statistically significant [P>0.1]. Furthermore, comparison of the right and left ankle spasticities and passive ROM before the injections and in1 and 3-month follow-ups did not show a statistically significant difference [P>0.1], but the differences were significant in 6 and 12-month follow-ups [P<0.05]. BTX-A injection with serial foot casting vs. BTX-A alone was more effective in decreasing spasticity and improving passive ROM in the ankle of children with CP, but such injections in the hamstrings were not useful in these regards

[Effect of vestibulo-proprioceptive stimulations in a child with agenesis of the corpus callosum]

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of vestibulo-properioceptive stimulations of sensory integration theory on the development of gross and fine motor, language and personal-social functions in a child with agenesis of the corpus callosum. We report a 10.5 month old boy with agenesis of the corpus callosum. The intervention was administered based on sensory integration theory an hour a week for 10 weeks. The exercise intervention consisted of proprioceptive and linear, sustained and low frequency vestibular stimulations on suspension device and physio roll. A Denver Developmental Screening- II and milestones skill testing was completed pre-intervention and monthly. Post-intervention, age of gross motor, fine motor adaptive, language, and personal-social functions significantly improved. Based on milestones skills, maintenance of gross motor functions [e.eg. sitting and quadruped position] improved. The child could roll from side to side and released objects voluntarily. The reaction time to auditory stimulations became less than 2 seconds. Vestibulo-proprioceptive stimulations using the neuroplasticity ability of the central nervous system is effective for development of gross and fine motor, language, and personal-social functions. These exercises can be administered for a child with agenesis of the corpus callosum