PREVENZIONE DEI DISTURBI DELLO SVILUPPO DEL BAMBINO

Abstract Introduction: The literature and current experience tend to doubt the usefulness of the psychomotor rehabilitation in the cases of pre-perinatal neurodamage. The characteristics of brain development undoubtedly indicate that the first year of life and actually the first months are crucial for the post-natal development and re-organization of structures. These periods are characterised by a greater plasticity and therefore they are theoretically the most suitable for rehabilitation. Aim: To investigate the efficacy of the early application (within the first three months of life) of a specific educational-rehabilitative methodology (the one applied at “A.R.C. i Nostri figli”) in children presenting with neurodamage and in children at risk. Method: Retrospective observational study on patients treated in the rehabilitation centre A.R.C. i Nostri Figli from 1995 to 2005. Results: The results show a statistically significant improvement in the autonomy of patients that start the therapy before 3 months of age if compared with those that start it after that age. Conclusions: These observations need to be confirmed on children that have been treated with different therapies. We think that a controlled perspective rather than retrospective experimentation is not ethical. So, for the time being, we can conclude that any effort should be done for each single patient in order to anticipate the rehabilitation intervention to the first months of age.