Improving the functioning of children, age 3-6 years, with central nervous system damage

Based on knowledge gained throughout years of working with children with cerebral palsy, teachers and specialists of the Special Preschool No. 11 in Lublin have developed their own functionality improving system for those disabled children. The main objectives of the system are to prepare children for independent life in society, development of physical activity, mastering everyday activities and opportunities to communicate. These assumptions are realized in the classroom in small groups of children.
Improving a group of children of the same age and similar rates of learning facilitates the repetition of acquired skills in various everyday situations.
Data on the development of children are collected and recorded in special sheets prepared by therapists. Parents of the child are asked to complete the sheet . Information taken from the observaation sheet form the basis to create a functional diagnosis for every child.
The rating scale GMFM (Motor Function Measure Gross) is an important complement to the assessment of the child’s development. Educators, psychologists, speech therapists and a physical therapists make a functional diagnosis for each child, which forms the basis for the preparation of educational and therapeutic programme (Ipet.). The educational content of the programme is constructed in a „spiral pattern” with a view to broadening and deepening knowledge.
Cooperation of the therapeutic team with parents of disabled children is an essential condition for achieving progress in the child’s development.