Home programmes in paediatric occupational therapy for children with cerebral palsy: where to start?

Aim: Home programmes are used extensively for children with cerebral palsy. Even though there is consensus about the importance of home programme intervention, there is little evidence of efficacy and scant information regarding programme characteristics that might affect family participation. Instead, research to date has focussed on parental compliance with prescribed programmes and parent– child interactions. Methods: Based on reviewed literature, this article proposes a model to guide development of home programmes for children with cerebral palsy. It is a starting point for therapists to consider the way in which they focus and structure their home programmes for children who have cerebral palsy. Results and Conclusions: The paper identifies an urgent need to develop clinical guidelines for home programmes through rigorous formal processes and to evaluate the impact of occupational therapy home programmes. KEY WORDS cerebral palsy, family-centred practice, home programmes, parental participation.