About the courses

Multidisciplinary treatment of children with Cerebral Palsy
From 22 to 24 of November 2012 Wandafonds Foundation is organizing the basic course “Multidisciplinary treatment of children with Cerebral Palsy”, as well as the advanced course called “Multidisciplinary treatment of children with Cerebral Palsy, functional strength training and orthotics” as a continuation of last year’s course.

The course will take place in Józefów near Warsaw. The course will include presentation of treatment methods according to Dutch professor Jules Becher and the best Polish and Dutch specialists.

Wandafonds courses are designed only for therapeutical teams which treat children with cerebral palsy. Each team must be made up of: MDs specializing in medical rehabilitation (minimum two years’ experience with CP children) or neurology or orthopedics, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, orthopedic technicians who make orthopedic devices for CP children.
„Our aim is to make the course a germ for modern, multidisciplinary treatment aimed at achieving certain goals and mutual cooperation between specialists from different parts of the country. We truly encourage you to take part in the course”, says professor Sławomir Snela, specialist in orthopedics, a member of the scientific committee of the course.

The course’s exceptionality does not only come from its multidisciplinary approach, but also a special knowledge transfer system which incorporates both theory and practice. Apart from traditional theoretical lectures the participants will have a unique opportunity to take part in workshops involving working with patients. During the workshop, participants will both examine the patients together and establish individual treatment programs, and a program designed especially for orthopedic technicians will include making orthosis for the children examined during the course. Having in mind the elitist character of the course and the participants’ comfort, all classes will be conducted in small groups and under supervision of the most outstanding specialists. Once they have completed the course, the participants will receive a certificate to prove the skills of functional treatment of CP children. The honorary patronage of the course is given by professor Krystyna Książopolska-Orłowska, the National Rehabilitation Consultant. The course has been given accreditation of the Polish Rehabilitation Association, Polish Orthopedics and Traumatology Association and Polish Physiotherapy Association.

The organizer of the course is Dutch foundation Wandafonds established in 2002 by a Pole, Eva Koyman-Piskorz. The aim of the foundation is to provide help and widespread knowledge about treatment of cerebral palsy in children in Poland. The Foundation also supports CP youth and cooperates with associations of parents of CP children. The Foundation consists only of volunteers.

The course’s web page address: www.terapiampd.pl

The aim of the organizers and the scientific committee of the course is to transfer knowledge, both theoretical and practical, covering these issues:
Basic course:
- The ICF model: possibilities of use in certain cases.
- Creating a therapy model and enriching it by talking to children and their parents
- Determining the functional level of a child.
- Determining functional abilities and executive abilities of a child through observation.
- Attempt to recognize possible causes for a patient’s limitations and the patient’s abilities.
- Knowledge about possible examinations concerning causes for a patient’s limitations in activeness.
- Evaluation of the physical condition of a child: medical examinations, basic principles of gait pattern observation, GMFCS and MACS classifications.
- Formulating conclusions basing on a therapy model / problem analysis and its assessment / treatment choice according to SMART goals.
- Formulating conclusions about treatment aims basing on common assessment of the functional state of a child created during team meetings.
- Transforming a request for help into a SMART therapy.
- Transforming treatment aims into a certain plan (child – activity - environment).
- Treatment plan with respect to the kind of a therapy, its variable aspects, assumptions and a training / rehabilitation plan, stationary treatment (?), functional training, therapeutical and adaptation aids (PT, OT, treatment and prosthetics etc.).
- The basis for functional therapy – diagnosis and reconstruction during treatment.

Advanced Course:
Goals of the course
• Repetition of analyzing needs of child and family, level of functioning according ICF-CY, observation of activities, defining constraints, physical examination, setting treatment goals on the level of activities and formulate short term treatment goals according the SMART methodology
•be able to formulate a prognosis of mobility based on the GMFCS classification
•be able to analyze limitations in mobility and make relations with gait deviations
•be able to formulate a treatment plan with botulinum toxin injections based on the analysis of gait deviations and physical examination with the aid of bi-directional video observation
•be able to make a training program for functional training and functional strength training to improve mobility
•be able to perform serial casting treatment with lower limb walking cast
•be able to analyze limitations in bimanual hand function and limitations in self care
•knowing the indications for CIMT and BIMT to improve bi-manual hand function
•be able to observe and perform physical examination to determine constraints for bi-manual hand function
•be able to formulate a treatment plan with botulinum toxin and functional (strength) training to improve bi-lateral hand function
•be able to formulate goals for improvement of gait with the aid of an Ankle Foot Orthosis
• choose a design of an Ankle Foot Orthosis and formulate desired changes of gait
•be able to tune the AFO-shoe combination to optimize the effect of an AFO on gait
•be able to communicate about patient treatment in a multidisciplinary group of therapists, medical doctors and technicians.