Mother rehabilitation activity in case of neurological pathology in early age children

The active involvement of parents into the rehabilitation process is a crucial problem in assistance to children with developmental disabilities, which determines the need to study the activity of mothers in the rehabilitation of their children. Aim: the paper aims to substantiate the concept of mother rehabilitation activity (MAR) in early age children with neurological pathologies and to identify both the levels of MAR and the factors that determine it. Materials and methods: The study was conducted in the Center of Medical Rehabilitation for Children with psychoneurological diseases. The method of expert assessment was used; 20 specialists of the Center were chosen as experts. The experts filled out a form describing the indicators of mother rehabilitation activity based on two blocks (MAR in the Center - 8 indicators, MAR between treatment courses -5 indicators), estimating the frequency of their manifestation from 0 to 3 points. In addition, the methods of clinical conversation, questionnaires and video-observation were used. The expert assessment of post-treatment mother rehabilitation activity (N=132) was obtained; the average age of children is 25.4 months, neurological diagnoses - Cerebral Palsy, Perinatal Lesion of the Central Nervous System. Results: The sample is equally represented by high, average and low levels of MAR, which does not vary in terms of severity of developmental disorders and age. High rehabilitation activity is associated with a low level of psychological defense, identifying oneself as a good mother, and a low level of unconditional acceptance of the child. An increase of mother rehabilitation activity is associated with a decrease of child's own activity and productivity in joint activities with the mother. The level of mother rehabilitation activity is determined by a combination of factors: mother-child relation, perception of oneself as a mother, attitude to the child's disease. Conclusion: For the first time, the concept of mother rehabilitation activity is justified and meaningfully defined. It is shown that the most favorable level of rehabilitation activity is the average one. The limitation of the study is the assessment of mother rehabilitation activity in the Center, which does not allow the data to be applied to mothers of other groups.