APA Calls for Greater Investment in Children with Mild to Moderate Disabilities

On International Day for People with Disability, the Australian Physiotherapy Association is calling on state and federal governments to increase its investment in the 122,000 Australian children with a physical disability. “Too many children with mild to moderate disabilities fail to qualify for the support they need to maximize their learning and personal development at school,” said APA President Pat Maher. “This is to the ultimate detriment of Australia as a society and as an economy.”

Approximately 8 per cent of Australian children surveyed in 2003 had a disability, of which 3.2 per cent were physically disabled. Conditions where movement problems arise can include Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Juvenile Arthritis, Acquired Brain Injury and early stages of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Although movement problems can prevent children from fully participating in school, they are not always considered sufficiently severe to attract government funding. Pat Maher said, ”These children have much to contribute to school life and have a right to equal access to participation in the community.”

Best practice in the treatment of children with physical disabilities requires the physiotherapist to involve the child and family when making decisions regarding any therapy intervention. Coordination of rehabilitation and educational services is essential to ensuring the functional abilities of children with mild to moderate physical disabilities are maximized to reduce further disability, and therefore lessen unnecessary financial burdens for the families and health and education expenditure.

“Early access to services, equipment and funding to assist children to learn, grow and play can have significant positive benefits for the individual, the family, the school community and the wider community.”

The APA believes that all children should be screened for mild to moderate physical disabilities and funding should be provided for qualified health professionals to further assess the needs of those children identified with mild to moderate physical disabilities. Additionally, all children with a physical disability should have government subsidised access to the services that they require, whether it is equipment, orthoses or therapy services.

The Australian governments should commit to a substantial financial investment in establishing collaborative interdisciplinary teams located in specialist settings from which outreach services can be provided to schools.

“There needs to be a significant increase in the number of physiotherapists and other health professionals employed in specialist paediatric services,” said Mr Maher. “At the moment, these children are not getting the kind of start in life that they deserve.”

http://www.physiotherapy.asn.au/images/Document_Library/Position_Statements/children%20with%20mild%20to%20moderate%20physical%20disabilites%20in%20schools.pdf