Effects of Family-Centered Training on Functional Balance and Activities of Daily Living in Children with Cerebral Palsy

This study was conducted to examine the effects of the application of familycentered training over the 12-week period by the pediatric physiotherapist on functional balance and activities of daily living in children with cerebral palsy. Among the 26 children with cerebral palsy as the subjects were allocated to the experimental and control group. Both groups were subjected to neurodevelopmental treatment by the pediatric physiotherapist. The experimental group, participated in family-centered training program 3 times a week over a period of 12 weeks for the total of 36 sessions, functional balance and activities of daily living were verified through intergroup comparison. There was no significant difference between the outcomes prior to training and after 6 weeks of training, (p>.05) Pediatric Berg's Balance Scale(PBS) and Functional Independence Measure for children(Wee-FIM) increased significantly from those measures after 6 weeks to those after 12 weeks of training (p<.05). Therefore, these results suggest that on family-centered training on children with cerebral palsy has beneficial effects on functional movements and physical activities.