Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

Paediatric Physiotherapy Assessment

Paediatric Physiotherapy Assessment
2
12155
1
Annual
OB
Main language of instruction: Spanish

Other languages of instruction: Catalan, English

Teaching staff


Dra. BAGUR CALAFAT, Maria Caridad - cbagur@uic.es

The teaching staff will attend to all students who request it via email during scheduled hours.

Introduction

To establish a therapeutic program tailored to the individual needs of each child, it is necessary to use appropriate assessment tools. This requires knowing how to use internationally recognized pediatric age-appropriate assessments and interpreting the results. These assessments allow professionals to establish short- and medium-term therapeutic goals and appropriate intervention, as well as to:

a) Quantitatively and qualitatively identifying the child's motor skills and development.

b) Establishing a physiotherapy diagnosis of developmental delays, the child's motor dynamics, their interaction with the environment, etc.

c) Determining the child's motor potential strengths and weaknesses.

d) Identifying therapeutic strategies that can contribute to improving the established goals, whether in the short or long term.

Given the wide variety of pathologies during childhood and the large number of therapeutic strategies including postural, orthotic and mobility aids, it is necessary to know each of them in order to acquire the ability to apply them according to the objectives formulated for each particular child.

Pre-course requirements

None established.

Objectives

  1. Acquire training on the main assessment tools applied to the different stages of growth.

  2. Acquire skills in assessing infants and young children to detect developmental deficits and plan therapeutic approaches.

  3. Know how to apply the gross motor function measure scale and interpret the results.

  4. Understand the main skeletal parameters and their evolution from birth.

  5. Acquire skills in the practice and procedures of musculoskeletal assessment in pediatrics, differentiating between muscle shortening factors, joint restriction factors, and skeletal deformity factors.

  6. Develop the ability to interpret assessment results for therapeutic planning.

  7. Be able to assess the mechanisms that produce gait deviations in patients with neuromotor and musculoskeletal disorders.

  8. Acquire training on the most common cardiorespiratory pathologies in childhood.

  9. Learn the different techniques of pediatric respiratory physiotherapy and acquire skill in their application based on assessment and objectives.

  10. Identify when physiotherapy is needed after soft tissue or bone surgery in children.

  11. Understand the effects of therapeutic recreational activities on children with disabilities and how they contribute to motor development, and physical and emotional well-being.

  12. Acquire the ability to interpret assessment results to inform and collaborate with the rest of the interdisciplinary team in their decision-making.

Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme

Basic and general competencies

CB7 - Students know how to apply the knowledge acquired and their problem-solving ability in new or little-known environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their area of study.

CB8 - Students are able to integrate knowledge and face the complexity of formulating judgments from information that, while incomplete or limited, includes reflections on the social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments.

CB9 - Students know how to communicate their conclusions, knowledge and the reasons that support them to both specialized and non-specialized public media in a clear and unambiguous way.

CB10 - Students possess the learning skills that will enable to continue studying in a way that will be largely self-directed or autonomous.

CG1 - Ability to work in a multidisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary team while also being autonomous and proactive in resolving conflicts or problems between different professional perspectives.

CG2 - Execute professional practice based on humanistic values and respect for human dignity.

CG3 - Act with fairness, ensuring equal opportunities and universal access for children requiring physiotherapy care, promoting respect for human rights, and facilitating social and sustainable coexistence.

CG4 - Ability to plan and manage time and activities efficiently to ensure effective organization and optimal adaptability to unforeseen circumstances.

Transversal Competencies

CT1 - Ensure confidentiality in interventions and patient documentation management, complying with ethical, legal, and technical aspects.

CT2 - Show communication skills in interpersonal relationships that enhance the child's physical development, family participation, and multidisciplinary team collaboration.

CT3 - Communicate both orally and in writing using correct scientific terminology in each specialization of physiotherapy and health sciences, in both national and international contexts.

CT5 - Manage information optimally to transform it into applicable knowledge for professional practice, whether in child care or family support.

CT6 - Identify and adapt professional practice to institutional regulations within healthcare, social services, or educational systems, while planning proposals to improve the quality of the healthcare system.

Specific competencies

CE1 - Apply knowledge about the body’s response to internal and external stimuli, understanding how they become mechanisms of harmful, response, or repair.

CE3 - Design, plan and implement the most efficient pediatric physiotherapy intervention; monitor and evaluate responses, using scientific evidence.

CE6 - Redesign and adapt physiotherapy treatment by analyzing the evolution of results obtained from therapy concerning established objectives and outcome criteria.

CE8 - Defend pediatric physiotherapy interventions using clear, precise and context-appropriate arguments and justifications while valuing the contributions of others.

Learning outcomes of the subject

The student:

  • Understands the appropriate tests, assessment scales and questionnaires used to collect the various signs and symptoms derived from a child's condition.

  • Is able to perform a physical examination of the child.

  • Is able to complete a comprehensive medical history of the child.

  • Identifies the child's functional abilities and limitations.

  • Critically analyzes the assessment performed, determining the environmental factors that may modify it.

  • Interprets the evolution of the parameters obtained in the assessment and compares them with the therapeutic objectives.

  • Evaluates and documents the effectiveness of the therapeutic intervention.

  • Analyzes the possible need to modify the therapeutic intervention based on the progress achieved in the rehabilitation process and the child's different stages of development.

Syllabus

Assessment process

  • Objetives of the clinical assessment

  • Description of the assessment process

  • Planning an appropriate assessment according to the relevant evaluation

Physical assessment

  • Posture

  • Muscle synergies, postural reflexes/reactions, muscle tone

  • Range of motion and flexibility

  • Motor development, muscle strength, endurance

  • Balance and coordination, gait

  • Cardiopulmonary status

  • Anthropometric measurements

Assessment of Abilities, Functional Limitations, and Disability

  • Tests for assessing disabilities and individual limitations

  • Evaluation of patient abilities and limitations using:

    • Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM).

    • Gross Motor Function Classification System for Cerebral Palsy (GMFMCSPC).

    • Manual Ability Classification System (MACS).

    • Berg Balance Scale.

    • Sitting hability assessment.

    • Assessment of acetabular development parameters in childhood.

    • Assessment of the need for technology and postural and mobility aids for individuals with disabilities.

    • Identification of delays in key psychomotor development milestones: language, cognition, visual-motor perception, psychosocial development.

    • Evaluation of assessment results based on the presence or potential for developmental problems.

    • Analysis of the discrepancies in assessment results depending on the child, family, culture, and environmental factors.

    • Analysis of the treatment of the child's developmental problems or potential problems.

Teaching and learning activities

In person



Teaching methods

  • LM - Lecture Method
  • MC - Case Method
  • CA - Learning Contract

 

Learning Activities

 

Hours

Attendance (%)

CT - Theory classes

60

100%

CP - Practical classes

40

100%

AAP - Self-learning activities

50

0%

EI - Independent study

100

0%

Evaluation systems and criteria

In person



Since the course has a theory-practical nature, a minimum attendance of 80% of classes is required to pass the course. 

In this case, the assessment will consist of a narrative record, compiled by the student, on a chosen topic. This record will then be compiled into a final written report summarizing all of these entries.

The assessment activity will consist of:

  1. The development of a clinical case of the student's choosing, which must encompass the content of this course. This may be a real clinical case (respecting data confidentiality), or a clinical scenario developed entirely by the student. Students will have access to guidelines and requirements for this assignment on the subject's Moodle platform. This assignment will account for 70% of the final grade, provided the grade is higher than 5.0.

  2. The teaching staff will record a grade for each seminar based on the student's participation and engagement in the classroom activities. This record will account for 30% of the final grade.

Bibliography and resources

 

Useful links regarding physiotherapy in pediatrics and disability 

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