The aim of this survey was to highlight the primary barriers faced by rehabilitation professionals when trying to incorporate child stimulation into their professional practices and to examine how specialized training in this area has enhanced the knowledge and skills of those rehabilitation professionals.
A total of 106 rehabilitation professionals from eight countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East participated in a targeted training program. The program included an initial 9-day training session, followed by a 5-day follow-up training.
A post-training survey was conducted and shared to all professionals trained, with the aim to gather trainees’ feedback on their professional practices perceived evolution, focusing on the barriers they faced before the training and the main areas of perceived improvement. Data was collected via Forms, allowing to analyze data disaggregation and level of perception.
73/106 professionals trained responded to the survey (55% men, 45% women). The majority were physiotherapists (80%).
The results indicate that in the targeted countries, physiotherapists are considered better placed to integrate child stimulation into their professional practices. However, most professionals involved in this program initially had limited knowledge, skills or organizational support to effectively apply child stimulation techniques. The main barriers identified included: lack of recognition of these techniques by authorities; absence of established protocols; lack of conducive environments.
Following the training, the areas of professional practice that participants considered to show the most improvement were related to better understanding the importance of stimulation in child development and how to incorporate play activities into practice.
This project shows that physiotherapists can play a pivotal role in promoting child stimulation. This approach is considered essential for achieving optimal development and reducing the risk of long-term impairments for at-risk children. However, effectively integrating child stimulation requires a better recognition of stimulation in the scope of practice as well as a shift in how professionals engage with children and caregivers.
Incorporating stimulation, play therapy, and positive parenting into the initial curriculum of physiotherapists may be relevant in contexts with high prevalence of development delay and where early stimulation is not culturally ingrained. This is even more crucial in countries where no other rehabilitation professionals are present. For rehabilitation professionals already in practice who primarily work with children, continuing professional development should focus on these approaches. Finally, awareness and advocacy are needed for a better recognition of the benefit of children stimulation, from community actors to authorities.
children stimulaion
professional practice
