How should we set therapy goals for our children/youth whether it is physical or multi-dimensional?
Parents as well as health professionals have focused for a long time on tackling all present challenges at a time; more oriented towards fixing impairments. The disadvantage of such an approach is that it takes a long time and doesn’t prioritize what matters most to the subject and his/her family/caregivers. That’s why the WHO developed a classification system that evaluates subjects based on their participation in real life situations; not only their physical impairments. It also evaluates the environmental barriers that can be altered or adapted for better participation. This classification system is called the ICF (International classification of functioning, disability and health).
Based on the ICF, and after interviewing the subject and his parents/caregivers, goals to be set according to the major restriction of a real life situation. Afterwards, this situation must be analyzed to determine the missing components and activities for it to happen, in addition to the environmental changes that may facilitate this situation. Using this approach makes a bigger immediate difference to the subject’s quality of life and his family and caregivers.
Know more about the ICF on these links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoEIc4wBaIo
