Functional ADL Training for Children and Youth with Cerebral Palsy

Children and youth with cerebral palsy face unique challenges when learning, practicing, and mastering activities of daily living (ADLs). Active participation in dressing, feeding, toileting, clothing management, and small space mobility is influenced by body structures and function and environmental and personal factors. The influences are often multidimensional, as each impacts the other resulting in potential changes in participation. Awareness of conditions that influence a child’s functional performance is imperative to a clinician’s holistic approach to treatment. Associated conditions, comorbidities, and cognitive abilities need to be taken into consideration when assessing functional skill performance. Understanding current classification systems and gathering information from dedicated quality-of-life surveys help the clinician create a more comprehensive picture of the child’s ADL performance and guide the clinical approach to goal setting and treatment. Completing a thorough evaluation of the child’s abilities and functions will further refine a plan of care. Creating goals that are meaningful and relevant to the child and caregivers is a necessary step in the implementation of an effective treatment approach to functional ADL training. In alignment with the ICF, metal functions, sensory functions, and neuromusculoskeletal functions will be explored as each has a profound influence on ADL performance.