Parents’ perspectives on occupational therapy and physical therapy goals for children with cerebral palsy.

Summary of paper:

In this qualitative study, 39 parents participated in one of eleven focus groups across Alberta to discuss parents' perspectives and experiences with the content and process of therapy goal setting.  5 themes emerged:

1. Movement as the Means to Functional Success
2. Physical Health and Fitness are Important Therapy Goals
3. The Importance of Leading Happy, Fulfilling Lives and Being Accepted by Others
4. "We can't do it all": Balancing Therapy with the Demands of Everyday Life
5. Shifting roles and responsibilities in goal setting.

Discussion points:

• The importance of building rapport and a trusting relationship with the family in order to determine their priorities.
• Helpful to provide families with many options of activity suggestions that will fit into their lifestyle but important to still keep home programs short (need to prioritize).
• Social well being, quality of life and being full participants in their community are often most important goals parents have for their child.
• Need to look at the whole child, not just their impairment when setting goals.
• Parents want choices for their child's mobility, using different mobility aids in different settings and at different times.
• Parents preference for using compensatory strategies vs. focusing on normal movement patterns may depend on the level of severity of the child's disability.
• Helpful to have parents visualize the most positive experience they could ideally have with their child by asking "If you could imagine the best day you could have with your child, what would it look like?" to use a guide to goal setting.
• Using goal setting tools such as the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, the alternate version of the COPM* (modified with permission from authors), Goal Attainment Scaling*, Perceived Quality Rating Scale, and Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE) as well as information sheet for parents for goal setting* (*see attachments below)
• Regarding phyical fitness opportunities, it's important to stay up to date on community resources such as current programming offered by the Steadward center (like the mentorship progam provided to orientate disabled teens to community fitness centres) and ACT center  (like the adapted swimming program for older disabled children).