PAIN MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY IN SCHOOL SETTINGS

Dr Margareta Adolfsson from the CHILD project at Jönköping University in Sweden visited the Centre for AAC on Monday, 17 November. Margareta, Ensa Johnson (CAAC), together with Dr. Stefan Nilsson (CHILD; Göthenburg University, Sweden) are doing research on how pain in children with cerebral palsy is managed and communicated in school settings.

The project aims to compare the prerequisites and practices for pain management of children with cerebral palsy in two different cultural school settings (South Africa and Sweden). The overall aim is to enable a discussion about best practices that can have a stimulating effect on the pain management from which the children’s engagement can benefit and they can become active participants in school activities despite their pain.

The first part of the research, namely in the South African school settings has been completed and already one article (on pain management) has been submitted. Another article on pain communication will be completed in the following month.

Stefan and Margareta are currently collecting data in Sweden and the three researchers aim to combine the findings of the South African and Swedish settings in 2015.