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Published on: January 7, 2020
Therapeutic encounters with preterm infants: interaction, posture and movement
Gunn Kristin Øberg1, Yvette Blanchard, Aud Obstfelder
1Department of Health and Care Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø , Tromsø , Norway .
Physiotherapy for preterm infants benefits from understanding embodied interaction. Coordinated, meaningful engagement between therapist and infant enhances motor outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric physiotherapy
- Motor development in preterm infants
- Enactive intersubjectivity
Background:
- Physiotherapy is a key intervention for preterm infants with motor disorders.
- Limited understanding exists on how interactions influence therapeutic outcomes.
- Theoretical frameworks can enhance comprehension of these interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the impact of individual and contextual actions in physiotherapy for preterm infants.
- To introduce theoretical principles for understanding patient-therapist interaction.
- To provide a framework for analyzing interactional components in pediatric physiotherapy.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical paper
- Phenomenology of the body
- Enactive intersubjectivity
Main Results:
- Social interaction and intentional actions are mutually influential in therapy.
- Embodied interaction and meaning generation are crucial for effective physiotherapy.
- Coordinated embodied interaction can improve motor performance in preterm infants.
Conclusions:
- Effective physiotherapy for preterm infants relies on dynamic, embodied interaction.
- Meaningful engagement between therapist and infant is a fundamental driving force.
- Enhanced motor performance is achievable through coordinated therapeutic encounters.
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