Obstetric brachial plexus palsy, a traumatic birth palsy, results in the paralysis of the upper limb/s.
The birth injury is treated at the Brachial Plexus Clinic at King Edward VIII th Hospital, where
the Candidate forms part of the Rehabilitation Team. In keeping with worldwide trends, the focus
of treatment was on rehabilitation of the upper limb/s. During the course of treatment of these
patients, it was observed that the performance of these children varied from excellent to poor.
This observation, has not been recorded previously, hence a Research study was initiated to
invesitigate this aspect of performance.
The study comprised thirty children, between the ages of four and seventeen, whose paralysis was
assessed in the conventional pattern. In addition, the visual perceptual abilities of these children
were assessed in a variety of batteries, catering for the wide age range.
These were:
Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration (1989),
Motor Free Perception Test (1972),
Developmental Test of Visual Perception (2nd edition),
Test of Visual Perceptual Skills - Upper and Lower levels ( Gardner),
Jordan's Left-Right Reversal Test (1974),
Clinical (Ayres) and General Observations.
Although traditionally viewed as a physical disorder, the results of the study indicate that
children with obstetric brachial plexus injury present with a significant incidence of below average
performance, against the normal population, on most of the assessment batteries. No significant
relationship could be established between the severity of the lesion and visual perceptual abilities,
owing to the disproportionate numbers of children amongst the different lesions. Further research
is required to support and consolidate the findings of this study. It is also recommended that
Occupational therapists screen for visual perceptual deficits in such injuries, thus facilitating
holistic patient management. / Thesis (M.O.T.)-Unversity of Durban-Westville, 1998.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ukzn/oai:http://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za:10413/4629 |
| Date | January 1998 |
| Creators | Nukanna, Ornissa. |
| Contributors | Naidoo, K. S., Van Vuuren, S., Joubert, Robin Wendy Elizabeth. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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