The Effect of Telerehabilitation Supported Occupational Therapy Intervention on Participation and Occupational Performance in Rare Diseases

The aim of this case study was to investigate the effects of occupational therapy and telerehabilitation supported occupational therapy intervention on participation and occupational performance in individuals with rare diseases. The study included 6 cases aged between 8-11 years with Cri du Chat syndrome, Rett syndrome and Tuberous Sclerosis. The cases were divided into two groups as occupational therapy intervention group (n=3) and telerehabilitation supported occupational therapy intervention group (n=3). Occupational therapy intervention was applied to the control group, and occupational therapy intervention with 40-minute telerehabilitation sessions was applied to the telerehabilitation group for 3 months. Before and after the intervention, activity performances of the cases were measured with the Canadian Activity Performance Measure (COPM), functional independence was measured with the Children's Functional Independence Measure (WeeFIM), and functional abilities and performances were measured with the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) and were applied to their caregivers. The study found that occupational therapy intervention supported by telerehabilitation increased the participation and occupational performance of individuals in the areas of self-care and communication. In the study, in the telerehabilitation group, supporting occupational therapy intervention with telerehabilitation made the intervention more effective and efficient compared to the control group.