Functional outcomes of a feeding intervention programme for infants and young children with cerebral palsy
This study was conducted at the Cerebral Palsy (CP) Clinic, Red Cross Hospital, Cape Town between May and September 2004. The sample population was a group of mothers/caregivers and their infants and young children, who presented with evolving or severe cerebral palsy, persistent feeding difficulties and other multiple disabilities. The research was in the domain of treatment outcome, against a background of lack of evidence regarding the effectiveness of intervention programmes for children with CP, and, in particular, very young dependent feeders with neurologically-based feeding disorders. The study incorporated three distinct but complementary parts, namely: (1) identification of the fundamental issues that needed to be addressed in an effective feeding intervention programme for this population of children; (2) evaluation of the functional outcomes of a feeding intervention programme, based on the Neuro-developmental therapy (NDT) approach and currently employed at the CP Clininc, Red Cross Hospital; and (3) determination of the acceptability and sustainability of the feeding intervention programme for the participating mothers and caregivers.
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
Department of Paediatrics and Child Health