The purpose of my diploma thesis is to analyse the effectiveness of an individual treatment plan to increase muscle tone and strength of a child suffering from hypotonia.
Hypotonia can happen from damage to the brain, spinal cord, nerves, or muscles. The damage can be the result of trauma, environmental factors, or genetic, muscle, or central nervous system disorders. Hypotonia can have a significant effect on the motor skill development of a child. Children with hypotonia have decreased muscle tone, they quickly become fatigued and have balance problems. It is important to recognize problems with motor skill development at an early stage, since physical disabilities affect all areas of a child's development. With the appropriate approach, the hypotonia related problems can be alleviated and enable a child a better quality of life.
A case study research has been made on creating and carrying out an individual treatment plan for a six-year-old boy suffering from hypotonia. At the beginning »Test 1« was done to test boy's gross motor skills. Then I carried out the individual treatment plan to increase boy's muscle tone, I measured the progress along with his balance skills. The therapy was being carried out for six weeks, 3 times a week for 15 minutes each.
The results of the final test showed the progress of the boy with hypotonia in the strength of individual limbs: the strength of the boy's legs improved for 70 %, the strength of the boy's arms improved for 56 %. The boy also showed progress in the strength of the abdominal muscles, where he was 44 % more successful, and in the strength of his back, where he progressed for 23%.
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