Child Rehabilitation

The assessment begins with cognitive issues. Where is the child in the developmental spectrum in language, social, and emotional abilities How does the child function in the family, school, and community Does the presence of an impairment act as an impediment to social acceptance Poor impulse control, stuttering, or speaking loudly, perhaps because of hearing loss, will all distance a child from other children of the same age group.

Sensory issues need to be evaluated. Are vision, hearing, and other senses present and meeting the needs of the child's Impairment of the sense of touch and position sense may affect the child's extremity function, particularly in the area of fine motor activities. Deficiencies in these skills can also affect how others perceive the child.

For a child who has significant disabilities, the evaluation team needs to include educators, neuropsychologists, social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, augmentative communication and device technicians, and seating and adaptive equipment specialists, as well as the physician.

Child Rehabilitation evaluation is a process that not only looks at the actual impairments but looks to see how they affect the functioning of the individual. Functional substitutions and adaptive equipment and strategies need to be applied by the team to minimize the overall impact of the child's impairments on the child's function, maturation, and separation from family and, ultimately, on the child's function as an adult.