ABSTRACT
Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder resulting in a wide range of functional impairments and therefore greatly impacts the lives of both patients and their families. While genetic and medical aspects have been studied for several decades, rehabilitation intervention research is still in its infancy. In this study, the investigating researchers have presented a rehabilitative framework by using music therapy for girls with RTT. This model is founded upon the use of music therapy in light of Stern's proposal of subjective experience and affect attunement; it also refers to Rosenbaum's family-centered rehabilitation medicine perspective. This study both describes the theory behind this intervention and presents a newly developed outcome measure. This novel tool may have future clinical and research applications. Music therapy for patients with RTT has not been well researched yet, and, as a result, is not universally recommended. However this study's findings suggest that music therapy is an important component of multidisciplinary therapy. Further collaborative research should be encouraged in order to study and implement the use of music therapy in the treatment of severe disabilities. Projects such as the Enablin+ program with the support from the European Commission constitute fundamental tools in promoting integrative medical research and international networks.
Subject(s)
Music Therapy , Rett Syndrome , Female , Humans , Music Therapy/methods , Rett Syndrome/genetics , Rett Syndrome/therapyABSTRACT
Pediatric Rehabilitation therapists have always worked using a variety of off-the-shelf or custom-made objects and devices, more recently including computer based systems. These Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions vary widely in complexity, from easy-to-use interactive videogame consoles originally intended for entertainment purposes to sophisticated systems specifically developed for rehabilitation.This paper describes the principles underlying an innovative "Pediatric Rehabilitation 2.0" approach, based on the combination of suitable ICT solutions and traditional rehabilitation, which has been progressively refined while building up and using a computer-assisted rehabilitation laboratory. These principles are thus summarized in the acronym EPIQ, to account for the terms Ecological, Personalized, Interactive and Quantitative. The paper also presents the laboratory, which has been designed to meet the children's rehabilitation needs and to empower therapists in their work. The laboratory is equipped with commercial hardware and specially developed software called VITAMIN: a virtual reality platform for motor and cognitive rehabilitation.
