Congenital diaphragmatic hernia and occupational therapy: a case report

This case report describes occupational therapy (OT) intervention in an outpatient setting and outcomes for a child diagnosed with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) from 4 to 28 months of age. There is little information on therapy intervention and outcomes of children who have survived. The patient is a white male, born at 35 weeks gestation with a diagnosis of left CDH that required a patch repair. He also had a Nissen fundoplication, gastrostomy tube and spent the first 100 days of his life in the hospital. He received outpatient OT for 2 years. The process of service provision is described using the "Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process, 2nd edition" (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2008 , American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 62(6), 625-683). The focus of intervention, description of the intervention process, and timeline for achievement of skills is provided. Outcomes and assessment tools used included the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure and Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-Second Edition.