PTOTSLPQualitativeDevelopmental medicine and child neurology2026

Experiência de famílias e terapeutas com um programa de telessaúde para crianças e adolescentes com paralisia cerebral durante a pandemia de COVID-19.

Rachel Oliveira, Marisa Mancini, Priscilla Figueiredo and 3 others

PMID 41243361

WHAT IT FOUND

Families and therapists initially doubted remote care for children with severe cerebral palsy but later valued video-based collaboration.

Therapists moved from direct hands-on treatment to coaching parents through shared routines. This shift required building trust and adapting to home realities, not just technical fixes.

Key findings

01Therapists and families initially questioned the viability of remote intervention due to lack of physical interaction and uncertainty about goal-setting for children with severe motor impairments.

02Shared video analysis allowed therapists and families to collaboratively identify barriers and solutions in the home environment, which improved the fit of therapeutic goals.

03Families reported feeling empowered to manage care independently, leading therapists to question the necessity of weekly in-person visits for some cases.

STILL TO COME

How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs

Read the rest of this summary

You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.

Already have one?

What it does not show

The study only included families and therapists who completed the 4-month program, excluding those who dropped out, which may bias results toward positive experiences. Participants were from low-income families in a specific urban area in Brazil, limiting generalizability to other socioeconomic or geographic contexts. Interviews were conducted immediately after the intervention, so long-term adherence and sustained benefits were not assessed. Most caregivers interviewed were mothers, potentially missing the perspectives of fathers or other family members.

Declared interests

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The publication fee was funded by CAPES, a Brazilian government agency.

The easy way to misread this

Do not interpret the reported 'improvements' in child performance as evidence of clinical efficacy. These were subjective perceptions from participants in a qualitative study without a control group or standardized outcome measures.

Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →