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Implementation of a telerehabilitation program for children with neurodevelopmental disorders during the lockdown
Aníbal Báez-Suárez1, Iraya Padrón-Rodriguez2, Debora Santana-Cardeñosa3
1Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain.
Insights
Telerehabilitation, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy, demonstrated high satisfaction in families with children with neurodevelopmental disorders during COVID-19. Resources were rated highly and applicable globally.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Background:
- Telerehabilitation offers a vital alternative for patients unable to attend in-person therapy.
- The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated remote healthcare solutions, including for pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify factors associated with satisfaction in families of children with neurodevelopmental disorders undergoing telerehabilitation.
- To evaluate a multidisciplinary telerehabilitation program encompassing physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.
Main Methods:
- A survey was administered to 113 families participating in a telerehabilitation program during COVID-19 lockdown.
- Outcome measures included child's age, school stage, primary caregiver, provided resources, activity frequency, and detected difficulties.
Main Results:
- General assessment resources were rated as 'very good' by participating families.
- Activities were performed twice weekly, averaging 30 minutes per session.
- Caregiver academic status did not significantly impact understanding of provided information (p=0.286).
Conclusions:
- This study is the first to quantify satisfaction with a multidisciplinary telerehabilitation approach for children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
- High levels of participation and satisfaction were observed, indicating program effectiveness.
- The developed resources are shareable and applicable internationally for families facing similar needs.
Introduction:
Telerehabilitation is a tool for patients who, for different reasons, cannot participate in person with their physical presence. We aimed to identify the factors associated with satisfaction with telerehabilitation in families with children with neurodevelopmental disorders through a program that included physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.
Methods:
The program was developed during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Outcome measures: Child's age, the school stage to which they belonged, the person of reference in their daily care at home. The resources provided to the families, as well as the frequency of activities and difficulties detected, were evaluated through a survey.
Findings:
One hundred thirteen families responded to the survey. The general assessment resources were classified as very good. The average frequency of carrying out the activities was two times a week, with an average of 30 minutes per session. The ability to understand the information in the manual was not affected by the academic status of the caregivers (p = 0.286).
Conclusions:
This is the first study to quantify the multidisciplinary approach to children with neurodevelopmental disorders using telerehabilitation. The results show high levels of participation and satisfaction. The resources could be shared for their applicability in other countries whose families have similar needs conditioned by COVID-19.
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