To examine and categorize individual outcomes after the “Intensity matters!”-program, a new, cross-professional intensive intervention for children with disabilities across Norway.
84 children and their parents/legal guardian were enrolled in this study. Participants were active in defining goals, and hereby the content of the intervention. The pre-settled goals were grouped into the categories of body functions and structure, activities and participation inspired by the components of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF). The pre-settled goals were assessed pre- and post-intervention by using The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). A clinically important change was predefined as a change ≥2 points.
The “Intensity matters!”-program was executed by a cross-professional team consisting of several specialized physiotherapists, an occupational therapist, and a pediatrician. Each intervention period included five to six hours of daily practice, four days per week for three weeks, and was conducted in a group setting with a maximum of six children per group.
1004 pre-settled goals were categorized into focus areas, where 62.4% were categorized as activity; functional mobility (n = 626). Post-intervention assessment of the COPM ratings of child performance and satisfaction showed a mean change of 3.7 (range −0.25;8.5) and 3.8 (range 0.25;10), respectively.
The majority of participants in the “Intensity Matters!”-program had a clinically important change in their individual goals after only three weeks of intervention. This study supports the use of client-centered measures in rehabilitation for children with disabilities, but a further examination of long-term outcome is warranted.
The “Intensity matters!”-program is a cross-professional, goal-directed, and intensive intervention with a high degree of user involvement. Individual structured programs with high intensity in a group setting are likely to be successful for children with different health conditions, including cerebral palsy and other neurological or genetic disorders. Rehabilitation professionals should emphasise participants’ priorities and involvement of children when planning and evaluating a therapeutic intervention.
Intensive rehabilitation
Goal setting
