The Relationship Between Acquisition of Self-Produced Locomotion and Psychological Changes in a Person with Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

Recently, research in infants developing typically, the emergence of independent locomotion development is associated with advances in social cognitive development. However, for people with cerebral palsy that restrict to develop independent locomotion and being able to experience the opportunities to be influenced by environment to stimulate their development are very limited, which presents a serious problem. Therefore, finding ways to provide a substitute for this aspect of locomotion development for people with cerebral palsy are an important problem, but little attention has been given to the need for this kind of development support. The purpose of this article was to examine the effects of improvement in posture control and acquisition of independent locomotion to an adult with cerebral palsy by support with Dohsa-hou. The subject of this study was a male adult （43years of age） with severe cerebral palsy. A support based on instructional plan including a subject’ s actual conditions and parent’ s needs was performed 52 sessions. Through instructions, this subject was able to improve posture control as sitting position, the posture of kneeling down on one knee with the upper body straight and upright position and acquiring an act of stepping forward on his belly. Furthermore, with acquisition of locomotion, increasing of speech and demand behavior reported by parent. Reflection on some of these will make clear that Improvement of Posture control abilities and acquisition of an act of stepping forward on his belly were caused his psychological changes. One conclusion is that such interventions may enhance posture, Dohsa and mind for people with Cerebral palsy.