Learning
Pediatric physical therapy helps treat sick infants and children by improving their motor skills. Children who are inflicted with diseases like cerebral palsy or suffering from developmental delays are usually aided by pediatric physical therapists. In 1994, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Section on Pediatrics decided that the pediatric content should be standardized across education providers for future professional physical therapists (PTs).
Educational Components
The five major subject components in the guideline for pediatric content in PT education: Normal Development, Pediatric Diagnoses, Examination, Intervention and Family, Health Education and Service Delivery Issues.
Normal Development
Upon studying the first subject component (Normal Development), the PT students are expected to elaborately discuss and describe the developmental process. This includes the prenatal development of a baby, the development of human posture and movement and fine motor development, among others.
Pediatric Diagnosis
At the end of the second subject component (Pediatric Diagnosis) unit and discussion, the PT students should be able to understand the causes of diseases, disorders and conditions that were given in the class. They are expected to not only describe the symptoms of the medical problems, but also identify and describe the proper diagnostic medical procedures for each challenge in the list. Having gained much understanding of the difficulties that could inflict an infant or a child, the future professional physical therapists should now be able to discuss existing medical and rehabilitative management protocols. They should also show understanding of their own performance limitations in contrast to each disease, disorder and condition.
Examination
The third major subject component (Examination) will enable the PT students to carefully and professionally examine and evaluate infants and children for known diseases, disorders and conditions. The students should fully understand the examination process and be able to demonstrate knowledge and competence on conducting physical examinations by following a step-by-step process.
Intervention
In the fourth major subject component (Intervention), the future professional physical therapist should be able to develop and demonstrate a specific therapeutic exercise relevant to a given treatment plan. The students' care-management skills, particularly their coordination skills, will be honed on this part, and they also would begin learning relay professional instructions to caregivers.
Health Education and Service Delivery
The fifth major component (Health Education and Service Delivery Issues) focus on sharpening the communication skills of the future professional physical therapists. They are expected to understand varied family practices and cultural differences in the community and the society. Essentially, they will develop deeper knowledge on human behavior and interaction with patients and guardians/parents.
Tags: future professional, future professional physical, physical therapists, subject component, Education Service, Education Service Delivery