Exploring the meaning of cerebral palsy and its treatment: a preliminary prospective study related to the perceptions of mothers and physical therapists in Turkey

Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common cause of disability in childhood. Parents of children with this particular neurodevelopmental disorder are included in the rehabilitation process. Objective: The purposes of this research were (1) to understand perceptions of mothers and physical therapists (PTs) about the rehabilitation programme their children receive and (2) to report the current knowledge of mothers and PTs highlighting consensus and disagreement. Method: Through in-depth interviews with mothers and PTs, the study explored issues that challenge both mothers and PTs’ attitudes. Twenty-two mothers and 11 PTs (work experience; 8.09 SD 6.8 years) answered the questions related to 22 children with CP. Three themes emerged from the interviews: (1) perceptions of disability, (2) expectations about the treatment, and (3) perception of the rehabilitation programme. Results: 22.7% of the PTs and 40.9% of the mothers described the health status of the children as good. A majority of the PTs (95.5%) reported that they often used the Bobath method. Consensus among PTs and mothers about the context (100%) and the effectiveness (45.5%) of the treatment was attained. 31.8% of the PTs and 59.1%of the mothers expected that the children would able to walk with or without assistance. However, consensus about the additional treatments could not be attained. 81.8% of the PTs (13.6% speech therapy; 9.1% aqua therapy;36.4% special education; 9.1% reflexology; 4.5% Vojta therapy; 9.1% surgery) and 50% of the mothers (18.2%aqua therapy; 18.2% special education; 13.6% speech therapy) believed that the children needed additional therapies. While PTs and mothers were totally in agreement in terms of the context and the effectiveness of the rehabilitation programme, they were in disagreement regarding the health status of the children, additional therapies, and expectations. Conclusions: The results suggest that the perceptions of mothers are different from those of PTs. A lack of consensus in these matters affects clinical judgment or rehabilitation of these children