Archives of Rehabilitation (Journal of Rehabilitation)
Year:2011 | Volume:11 | Issue:5 (45) PEDIATRIC NEUROREHABILITATION|Papers Count:22

Objective: In this study, we emphasize on effects of massage therapy on infants' growth and development.Materials & Methods: This research was a randomized control trial with random assignment of 92 infants 2-4 months old, who requested medical care from Qom Imams Khomeini clinic in 2009. Data which gathered includes demographic information and indicators of growth including; (weight, height, head, arm and chest circumferences). Developmental evaluation checklist was used for 2 months old infants' developmental assessment and about 4 months old infants; we used "Ages and Stages Questioner". Infant were divided into case and control groups. In case group, mothers touched their infants 15 minutes with Swedish massage every night before their bed time for two months and then indicators of growth and development were examined and compared.Results: considering sex, age, growth and developmental indicators were same for two groups. After intervention, weight gain (P<0.001), chest (P<0.001) and arm (P<0.001) circumference were significantly different between two groups. The head and height circumferences were higher in case group, but there was no meaningful difference. There was a significant difference considering the development in 4 month old infants in the case group, in gross motor (P<0.03) and personalsocial (P<0.001) subgroup but about communication, it was borderline (P=0.058). There was no meaningful difference considering fine motor and problem-solving subgroups.Conclusion: The massage effects on infant growth and development.

Objective: was to determine the severity of anxiety in mothers of children with cerebral palsy (CP) and its relation to the type of CP and severity of the disability.Materials & Methods: During this descriptive- analytic study, 43 mothers who had 6 months -8 year-old children with CP under rehabilitation services in SABA clinic, related to the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences (USWR), in Tehran, Iran, were selected as the case group by simple sampling. Informed consent was acquired from the mothers. Then, a data registration form and the Cattell Test were completed by them. This test indicates the existence of anxiety as well as its rate. The type of CP and the severity of disability were determined by a pediatrician and an occupational therapist respectively, using the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) Seventy-seven mothers of normal children, serving as the control group, filled in the same questionnaires. The data was analyzed using t-test, X2 for non-parametric variables, and Pearson& Spearman correlation tests.Results: There were no significant differences in the mean anxiety scores between the two groups, but there were significant differences in anxiety scores among the five types of CP (P=0.023). There were no statistically significant differences in anxiety scores and the severity of disability and economic status of the family, age of mothers, gender of children, number of family members, birth type, consanguinity of parents, mothers' education level.Conclusion: Regarding results and limitations of this research, it seems further researches could be more helpful.

Objective: Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials (VEMPs) is a new tool for measuring vestibular function (saccule and inferior vestibular nerve). Many VEMP studies are conducted in adult group. By contrast, limited studies are designed for measuring response characteristics of children. The aim of this study was to calculate VEMP data in this age group and comparing with adult group.Materials & Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 19 normal hearing children aged 3-10 years (10 males, 9 females, and mean age 6.32 years) were enrolled. Children were requested to lie down on a bed and to contract their Sternocleidomastoid (SCM) in each side by bending their head 30 degrees up and rotate it toward opposite muscle. VEMP responses were recorded using 500 Hz tone bursts. p13 and n23 latencies, thresholds and amplitude ratios were calculated and compared with results from adults.Results: Norn1al VEMP could be recorded in all subjects. Comparing latencies, thresholds and amplitude ratios showed no significant difference between children and adults.Conclusion: VEMP testing could be used as a non-invasive and valuable tool for investigating vestibular function and specially vestibule-collie pathway in children.

Objective: Cerebral palsy is a non progressive disorder in body posture and movement, due to different etiologies. Different rehabilitation interventions including conductive education have been used in these children. This study was performed to determine the effect of conductive education on gross motor function in children with spastic cerebral palsy (3-6 year old).Materials & Methods: This study was quasi-experimental and interventional. The study populations were 3-6 year old cerebral palsy spastic children in Tehran city. The reachable samples were referent to Vali-e-Asr rehabilitation foundation, among them 20 children acquired the entrance qualification for intervention. The clinical tests were Wechsler intelligence scale for evaluating of (IQ) and GMFM-66 (Gross Motor Function Measure) for evaluating gross motor function.Results: There are significant differences in gross motor functional abilities after using conductive education (P<0.003). Evaluation of the condition before and after each of the functional levels showed that the best result of using conductive education is seen on children of III level. But evaluation comparing of motor performance levels showed no significant difference (P=0.466).Conclusion: Conductive education is an effective approach in children with cerebral palsy and it could cause meaningful improvement in gross motor function of children with cerebral palsy and this approach is useful for all children with cerebral palsy in different levels of motor function.

Objective: Hearing Impairment during childhood affects all aspects of speech production and comprehension. It seems that hearing impaired people suffer from language and speech impairments such as comprehension of structures derived by syntactic movement. The purpose of this study is to compare the comprehension of structures derived by syntactic movement in hearing impaired children and normal children.Materials & Methods: In this case-control research, twenty normal children, aged 6-7 years and twenty children with severe to profound hearing impairment, aged 8-12 years were selected in a simple random sampling from normal kindergartens and schools, and exceptional schools for hearing impaired people. The children didn't have any confirmed diseases or neurological disorders, except hearing loss in students with hearing impairment. The children's aural records and also the confirmation of the audiologist in the exceptional schools for hearing impaired people were considered in order to determine the kind and degree of hearing loss. The comprehension of sentences was tested by using a researcher-made task called sentence-picture matching task. At first the content validity was determined and then the reliability was confirmed with Cronbach Alpha Test. Data were analyzed by statistical test such as Independent Samples T-Test and Mann-Whitney U Test and using SPSS software.Results: Comprehension of the hearing-impaired group was significantly different from control group (P<0.05). The children with hearing impairment failed to understand structures derived by syntactic movement. Comprehension of the hearing -impaired group on structures with canonical word order was better than on structures derived by syntactic movement.Conclusion: Incorrect answers of the children with hearing impairment to the sentence - picture matching task alludes to the incomplete comprehension of structures derived by syntactic movement.

Objective: Aim of This study was correlation between high-risk pregnancy and developmental delay in children 4-60 months.Methods: This con-elation descriptive study was done on 401 mothers and children 60-4 with sampling in several stages. "Ages and Stages Questionnaire" completed by samples. The data analyzed by software SPSS 18.Results: The results showed that the average age of children in low-risk pregnancy group was 22±16 month and high risk pregnancy group 18.9±14.8 month and their gender was female. Prevalence of high risk pregnancies was 80.5% and the prevalence of developmental delay was 18.7%. Multiple pregnancies, low birth weight, habitual abortions, maternal medical disorders in pregnancy, gestational diabetes had significant correlation with developmental delay of children. In the logistic model, male gender, low birth weight, consanginous marriage and maternal medical disorders in pregnancy showed significant correlations with developmental delay of infants. Also BMI, social and economic status showed probability value close to significant level and other variables of high risk pregnancy had no correlation with developmental delay of children. There was correlation between high risk pregnancy and developmental delay (P=0.002) and fine motor delay(P=0.02). But there was no correlation between high risk pregnancy and other developmental domains (P>0.05).Conclusion: This study showed that some variables of high risk pregnancy had significantly associated with developmental delay. Moreover, there were significant correlation between high risk pregnancy and developmental delay and fine motor delay.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of visual Arts education on improvement of visual perceptual skills in dyscalculia students.Materials & Methods: Utilizing an experimental pretest - posttest with 3 case and control group design and using screening and via DSM VI dyscalculia diagnosis questionnaire 30 dyscalculia male students were selected who were studying in the primary school and the research instruments used were Frostig Visual Perception and Iranian Key-mat Tests.Results: the data of the research were analyzed through descriptive statistic method and covariance analysis model which showed that there is meaningful difference between pottevy, painting and control groups that showed changes a little more in painting group.Conclusion: the Visual Arts education can be effective on all of the visual perceptual skills in dyscalculia students except the Form Constancy skill.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of modified constraint induced movement therapy on quality of hand grasp in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy.Materials & Methods: In this study, 21 available children were selected randomly and divided into two groups, as experimental and control. Common Practices of Occupational Therapy were done for 6 weeks for both groups equally and for test group we took advantage of constrain induced movement therapy methods for three hours every day. Weight-bearing and protective extension was measured based on quality of test skills of upper limbs (QUEST). Kolmogrov-Smimoff, Chi, t-independent and repeated measurement data (fortnightly were used) to analyze the data.Results: 11 children in the experimental group (7 girls, 4 boys) with mean age (47.17±55.46) months and 10 children in the control group (5 female, 5 male) with mean age (19.19±10.48) months were studied. The findings indicated that significant differences based on independent T-test after 6 weeks intervention (P=0.042) and based on repeated measurement significant difference in 2 weeks after intervention and 2 week second (P=0.001) were observed.Conclusion: This study showed that modified constraint induced movement therapy could affect quality of grasp and more study for this approach is suggested.

Objective: To assess whether an oral stimulation program, enhances the oral feeding performance of preterm infants which born between 26-32 weeks gestational age.Materials & Methods: Preterm infants (n=20) were randomized into two experimental and control groups. The experiment group received an oral stimulation program consisting of stimulation of the oral structures for 15 minutes. Infant in the control group did not receive stimulation. Both were administered once a day for 10 consecutive days.Results: Independent oral feeding was attained significantly earlier in the experimental group than the control group, 13±4 days (means) versus 26±4 days, respectively (P<0.001). Length of hospital stay significantly was shorter in the experimental group than the control group, 32±6 days versus 38±2 days, respectively (P=0.021).Conclusion: An early oral stimulation program accelerates the transition to full oral feeding in preterm infants. This was associated with shorter time of hospital stay.

Objective: This study investigates the effectiveness of Token economy reinforcer on the academic achievement of 9th grade male students with intellectual disability in science class in Tehran Province.Materials & Methods: The experimental method by pre-test, post-test with the control group was used in this study. Twenty 9th grade male students with Intellectual disability from two junior high school were participated. The sample was chosen by clustering method. After random assignment of students in both experiment and control groups, for students of experimental groups were used Token economy reinforce in the 17 sessions instruction and the control group students did not provide a reinforcer in the same sessions. The Wechsler intelligence test was used for matching the groups in terms of IQ and also a teacher-made tests was used for measuring the progress of students in science. The data was analyzed by descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency charts and tables) and t-test.Results: The results of this study showed that there was a significant increase in academic achievement of students with intellectual disabilities in the experimental group (used token economy) comparing with the control group (P<0.001).Conclusion: Token economy reinforcement increases the academic achievement of students with intellectual disability in science. Token economy reinforcers, increases motivation in students' intellectual disability.

Objective: Aggressive behavior is a common problem among individuals with mental retardation. Art therapy is one of the methods suggested for treatment of aggression. Therefore the aim of present research is investigating the effect of painting in reduction of aggression in educable mentally retarded female students in primary school.Materials & Methods: In this experimental research with pre and post-test with control group, 52 educable mentally retarded female students in primary school in Karaj with age mean 11.50 and standard deviation 2.21 were selected based on cluster multistage sampling for inclusion in research. After execution of aggression test of mentally retarded children (Bahrami, Davarmanesh, Ghezelsefloo, 2008) in pre-test, the students were located into two matched groups regarding educational levels, age and total aggression rate, and randomly one of the groups was selected as experimental group and another as control group. Then experimental group painted in 8 continuous sessions. 10 days after the last session, aggression test was performed. Data was analyzed by using of Kolmogrov-Smimov test and Covariance analysis.Results: The results showed that there's significant difference between the average scores of pre and post-tests of total aggression, verbal and nonverbal aggression to self, verbal and nonverbal aggression to others of experimental group in comparison with control group (P<0.001).Conclusion: Painting reduces the rate of aggression in educable mentally retarded female students in primary school.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of puppetry (with UV light) in reducing aggression of educable mentally retarded female students in primary school.Materials & Methods: In this experimental study with pre and post-test with control group, 50 educable mentally retarded female students were selected randomly through Tehran primary schools. After execution of aggression test of mentally retarded children (Bahrami, Davarmanesh, Ghezelsefloo, 2008) in pre-test, students were located randomly into two groups and by accident one of the groups was selected as experimental group and another as control group. Then experimental group exhibited puppet show (with UV light) seven continuous sessions every day (each session 15 to 20 minutes).10 days after the last session, aggression test was performed. Data was analyzed by Kolmogrov-Smimov test and Covariance analysis.Results: The results showed that there's significant difference between the average scores of pre and post-tests of total aggression, verbal and nonverbal aggression to self, verbal and nonverbal aggression to others of experimental group in comparison with control group (P<0.001).Conclusion: Puppetry (with UV light) reduces the rate of aggression in educable mentally retarded female students in primary school.

Objective: to achieve factors probably causing to born exceptional children in families who have more than one exceptional child.Materials & Methods: In this cross sectional and comparative study 80 family who have more than one exceptional child were selected conveniently and 53 families with normal children were selected by multi-stage sampling via schools of city of Urmia. In this study the biological characteristics of questionnaire - the cognitive parents with more than one child special and general health questionnaire was used. Analysis of data compromise Xi Chi, Yu-Whitney and t tests were used.Results: Among demographic variables, sequence of children birth (P<0.001), disease (P=0.006), type of disability (P=0.001) and Major cause of handicap (P=0.014) were significant between two groups. Among biological variables, type of marriage (P=0.019), parental age at marriage (P<0.001), mother's age during pregnancy (P=0.031), birthplace of parents (P<0.001), mother's general health (P=0.012) and parent's blood group (P<0.001) were significant between two groups.Conclusion: Prevention and planning to control variables affecting the birth rate of Exceptional Children in families that have been investigated in this study will help to reduce disabilities.