The effects of rehabilitation on functional independence of Eastern Taiwanese children with rare or genetic diseases.

OBJECTIVES

This study investigated the effects of outpatient rehabilitation therapy (RT) on the functional performance of children from Eastern Taiwan with rare or genetic diseases.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective observational cohort study included 73 children from Eastern Taiwan who were affected with rare or genetic diseases, with an average age of 8.57 ± 5.33 years (47 boys and 26 girls). Each child received the goal-directed therapy known as outpatient RT, which was delivered by a multidisciplinary team of specialists. To assess the effectiveness of RT, the WeeFIM-C questionnaire data were collected and analyzed.

RESULTS

After receiving outpatient RT, most of the children only required low-to-moderate assistance with self-care tasks (4.36 ± 2.38), and they could perform mobility-related activities under supervision or independently (5.70 ± 2.29). Moreover, most only required minimal assistance with tasks related to cognitive functioning and tended to complete such tasks under supervision (4.97 ± 2.05). The functional performance was significantly different among three studied groups, in terms of self-care ( = 5.42, < 0.007), mobility ( = 8.17, < 0.001), cognitive functioning ( = 3.31, < 0.042), and overall ( = 6.44, < 0.003) functional performance.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study demonstrated that the functional status was different among three studied groups in terms of self-care, mobility, and cognitive functioning after receiving outpatient RT.