Using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Children and Youth Version in Education Systems: A New Approach to Eligibility

Efficacy of Rehabilitation Therapy and Pharmacotherapy on Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Meta-Analysis

Background. Cerebral palsy (CP) has a serious impact on children’s multiple motor functions and life behavior. Rehabilitation therapy or pharmacotherapy alone has been proven to have a good effect on patients’ strength and gait. However, the efficacy of rehabilitation combined with pharmacotherapy for CP in children needs to be further explored. This study is aimed at assessing the effectiveness of this combined method on life function and social behavior in children with CP. Methods. PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang Data, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases were searched for all kinds of literature related to the treatment of pediatric CP published between 2000 and 2021. Basic information and experimental data from the literature were screened and extracted, and a meta-analysis was performed using Stata 16. Results. A total of 605 studies were retrieved, and finally, 10 studies involving 805 pediatric patients were included in the analysis. The analysis results showed that rehabilitation combined with pharmacotherapy could improve the treatment effective rate in children with CP compared with the control group using either alone ( $\text{RR}=1.184$ , 95% CI (1.102, 1.273), $P<0.001$ ). In addition, in terms of social behavior, the combined therapy could significantly improve activities of daily living ( $\text{SMD}=2.94$ , 95% CI (1.66, 4.22), $P<0.001$ ), motor ability ( $\text{SMD}=1.86$ , 95% CI (0.75, 2.96), $P=0.001$ ), adaptability behavior ( $\text{SMD}=2.82$ , 95% CI (0.45, 5.18), $P=0.019$ ), language behavior ( $\text{SMD}=3.08$ , 95% CI (0.95, 5.22), $P=0.005$ ), social behavior ( $\text{SMD}=3.78$ , 95% CI (2.22, 5.35), $P<0.001$ ), and fine motor behavior ( $\text{SMD}=3.52$ , 95% CI (1.17, 5.86), $P=0.003$ ). Conclusion. The current study shows that rehabilitation combined with pharmacotherapy can effectively improve the recovery, quality of life, and social behavior of children with CP.

Adolescents with Hearing Loss and the International Classification of Functioning, Health, and Disability: Children & Youth Version

In 2007, the World Health Organization published a set of International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) codes designed for children and youth (ICF-CY version). The ICF-CY considers typical developmental changes associated with childhood while describing health status and the effects of intervention. In this article we will describe how a specific intervention (transition planning for adolescents) can be documented with the ICF-CY. Transition planning in health care prepares adolescents and their families for the transfer from pediatric to adult health services and has been demonstrated to be an effective practice for adolescents with many types of chronic health conditions (e.g., cystic fibrosis, epilepsy, diabetes). Audiology has not yet addressed transition planning for adolescents with hearing loss; therefore, we propose using the ICF-CY to design a pathway of care. The ICF-CY can standardize transition planning to the benefit of both teen patients and audiologists: teens and their families would gradually acquire necessary knowledge and skills, and audiologists would develop a meaningful data set to help further inform our pediatric practices, as well as give more structure, depth, and accountability to our role in rehabilitation.

Behavioural Difficulties That Co-occur With Specific Word Reading Difficulties: A UK Population-Based Cohort Study

This study aimed to examine the association between specific word reading difficulties (SWRD) identified at age 7 years using a discrepancy approach and subsequent dimensional measures of behavioural difficulties reported by teachers and parents at age 11 years. Behavioural problems were assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Secondary analysis of a UK representative population-based sample of children (n = 12,631) was conducted using linear regression models. There were 284 children (2.2%) identified with SWRD at age 7 years. Children with SWRD had significantly higher scores on all measures of behavioural difficulties in unadjusted analysis. SWRD was associated with elevated behavioural difficulties at age 11 years according to parent report, and with greater emotional problems, hyperactivity and conduct issues according to teachers, even after having controlled for baseline difficulties. These results were replicated for children with low reading attainment, but no cognitive ability discrepancy. Categories of special educational need into which children with SWRD were classed at school were varied. Given high rates of co-occurring behavioural difficulties, assessment that identifies each individual child's specific functional, rather than categorical, difficulties is likely to be the most effective way of providing classroom support.