Agreement between physiotherapists and mothers in the rehabilitation of children with down syndrome

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the agreement between physiotherapists and mothers about the treatment of children with Down syndrome who received treatment in special education and rehabilitation centers. Material and Methods: Mothers of 117 children with Down syndrome whose mean age was 26.24 +/- 12.94 months, and physiotherapists were included in this study. All participants were treated at special education centers in the provİnce of Ayd??n. A questionnaire consisting of 6 open-ended questions was used to describe the expectations and views of the physiotherapists and mothers about the physiotherapy and rehabilitation programs for the children. Results: The mean age of the mothers with a child with Down syndrome was 36.74 +/- 4.15 years, and the mean age of the physiotherapists was 34.03 +/- 9.32 years and their mean number of working years was 9.91 +/- 8.76. Statistically, a moderate agreement was found between the physiotherapists and the mothers in terms of additional treatment (K=0.225 and p=0.000) and the effectiveness of the physiotherapy program applied to DS children (K=0.204 and p=0.000). When the agreement between the physiotherapists and the mothers about the appropriateness of the treatment applied to DS children was examined, a statistically good agreement was found (K=1.000 and p=0.000). Discussion: We believe that the views and expectations of the mothers should be taken into account by the physiotherapists when preparing a treatment program for children with Down syndrome.