Background and aim: There is neuroplasticity in all of life time, from newborn to elderly and neuronal connections are being created and broken by experiences and states of health or disease. The recovery of people with stroke or cerebral palsy can be a sign of neuroplasticity.

The aim of this article is to detect significance of neuroplasticity and critical period of recovery in central nervous system after stroke and cerebral palsy.

Materials and methods: This study is based on review of internal and external articles that published about neuroplasticity in central nervous system after stroke and cerebral palsy from 1987 to 2007.

Results: According to review the articles the mechanisms of neuroplasticity after stroke and cerebral palsy consist of Axonal and dendrites Sprouting, cortical reorganization and neurogenesis.

The rehabilitation protocols have a direct effect on integration and reorganization in intact areas adjacent to injured motor areas of cortex.

Conclusion: This study showed that reorganization continually occurs in response to task, behavior and learning skills.

Background and aim: The aim of this study was to determine effect of home based lovaas approach on social interaction, Speech and language, Play and behavior skills, and intensity of autism in young children with Autism

Materials & Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental, interventional pre/post design. Thirty children with Autism were selected by convenience sampling in a rehabilitation center by matching closely, 8 years old, in Tehran city.

The impact of lovaas approach was evaluated in children with Autism. For evaluation total scores and dimension of social interaction skills speech and language play a behavior before and after therapeutic intervention we used The PDD assessment scale/screening questionnaire. The results were analyzed with paired T test and wilcoxon signed and multivariate T² Hotteling and SPSS software edition 17.

Results: After intervention PDD assessment scores decreased (P<0/001). Significant progress were observed in social interaction skills (P<0/001).Speech and language (P=0/001), play (p<0/001) and behavior (P= 0/002). Significant decrease wasn't seen in the intensity of PDD after intervention (P> 0/05).

Conclusion: The result showed that home based lovaas approach increased the social interaction, Speech and language, Play and behavior skills in children with Autism 

Background and Aim: Stroke is the third leading cause of death, second cause of long-term disability and one of the very important challenging in life. The aim of this research was to explain the barriers and facilitating factors affected on stroke patients' life, and to identify relationship among them with demographic factors and severity of disease.
Materials and methods: The descriptive-analytic technique was used. All patients who suffered from stroke were recruited in Kerman city. Finally 83 patients were selected, and data were gathered by demographic qualification questionnaire, proven questionnaire by researcher for studying barriers and facilitating factors (after testing validity and reliability), and NIHSS tools . Then, data were analyzed by using descriptive and referential statistics ANOVA test, T-Test, and Pearson coefficient correlation by SPSS software (ver. 16).
Results: The findings showed that patients had more problems in the domains of politics, environmental factors, physical, and economic status. Also, they introduced social support from friends, family and prayer as facilitating factors in their lives. There was a significant positive relationship between age and physical and economical problems. Women have used social support and religious coping more than men.  Married patients received more social support and their physical and economic problems raised less.
Conclusion: Patients with higher severity of disease had more psychological problems such as depression and worry about future and Patients with lower socio-economic status more faced with barriers.

Background and Aim: Cerebral palsy is the most common chronic physical disability in childhood which may have negative effects on quality of lifeof parents. The aim of this research was to study the quality of life in mothers of children with severe cerebral palsy.

Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 70 children (aged 4 to 12) and their mothers referring to rehabilitation centers in Tehran in 2012 were selected by convenience sampling method. SF-36 was used to assess mother`s quality of life. Mother’s stress and their children gross motor function were assessed using the Resource and Stress Questionnaire and Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) respectively. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression tests were used for analyzing the data.

Results: The mothers’ mean age was 34.41 years (SD=5.72). The total mean score on health survey was 53.74. There was a statistically significant relationship between all dimensions of quality of life measures except mental health, social functioning and role limitations from emotional health problems with GMFCS level(p<0.05). Also, it was found that there is a significant relationship between mothers’ mental health, physical health and their total score of quality of life with their level of stress (p=0.000).

Conclusion: Considering the above results, parents of children with cerebral palsy describe their quality of life as moderate. Also, cerebral palsy severity and stress can negatively impact on a mothers’ life.

 Background and Aim: Family is the center and core of the care. Researchers who work with children with disabilities have shown that effective services are those that are focused on the role of families in treatment. The main aim of this study was an overview of family-centered approach (FCA).

 Material and Method: This study is a review of the national and international databases between 1985 and 201 2 .

 Result: Based on the exploration articles and documents, family-centered approach (FCA)

 has been advocated across a wide range of professions from health care (physician, nursing and midwifery), therapy services, early intervention, early childhood education, special and general education. The main essence of FCA includes parental involvement in decision making, collaboration and partnership, mutual respect (family and therapist), acceptance of the family’s choices, support, a focus on strengths, individualized and flexible service delivery, information sharing, and empowerment.

 Conclusion: family-centered approach (FCA) is effective, for children, parents, families, and the service provider. It enhances health care and increases family satisfaction of service delivery system. Perhaps because of the lack of sufficient knowledge and education about FCA, lack of educational materials and training in the medical model, there is limitation in implementation of FCA in Iran

  Keywords: Family centered approach, Rehabilitation, Occupational Therapy

 Background and Aim : Cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability in childhood. Children with cerebral palsy require long-term therapy for achieving improved motor function. It seems to be a need for treatment and training at home. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of “handling training” for caregivers at home on the gross motor function of 15-72 months cerebral palsy children.

 Materials and Methods : In this experimental single-blinded study, 40 children with cerebral palsy (15-72 months old) were recruited from some of Tehran public or private rehabilitation clinics based on pre-determined inclusion criteria, and after matching for child age, type of clinic referred to (public or private), type of cerebral palsy, IQ score, GMFCS level and number of occupational treatment sessions already provided at the rehabilitation clinic. The children were allocated randomly into intervention and control groups. For data collection, a demographic information questionnaire, gross motor function measurement (GMFM66) test and gross motor function classification system (GMFCS) test were used. Data were collected on three occasions: before the intervention, 1.5 months and 3 months after intervention. For intervention, researchers went to the intervention group's homes and explained educations related to handling for caregivers in a 4-hours session. During 3 months, researchers would follow up to implement the intervention. Data were analyzed by one sample k-S, chi-square, independent sample t test, general linear model and analysis of Covariance.

 Results : There were significant differences in gross motor function of two groups in 1.5 months and 3 months after intervention than before intervention (p<0.001). There were significant difference in gross motor function improvement in pre-post (1.5 months after intervention) (p=0.006) and pre-follow (3 months after intervention) (p<0.001) between two groups and was greater in the intervention group.

 Conclusion : Handling training on caregivers in home improves gross motor function in 15-72 months old cerebral palsy children.

Keywords : Cerebra l palsy, Handling, Gross motor function

Background and Aim: Mothers of children with cerebral palsy (CP) experience limitation in occupational performance because of caring of their children. It is proposed that the standard measurements need to be assessed their occupational performance problem. The aim of this study was to translate "Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) into Persian and to test its content validity and reliability in Iranian mothers of children with cerebral palsy.

Materials and Methods: It was a non experimental methodology study. After permission from innovators, COPM was translated into Persian language in three phases with respect to IQOLA project. Each of the items was validated by a panel of ten experts to review each item on “appropriate” and “not appropriate”. For examining test-retest reliability Iranians version of COPM was responded twice within at least two days or at most one week interval, by 30 Iranian mother of a child with CP in the rehabilitation clinic under the supervision of University of Social Welfare & Rehabilitation Sciences (USWR). We used to sample of convenience and non probability design for sampling. Then, data were analyzed with SPSS software from the aspects of content validity and test-retest reliability.

Results: Content validity rate of the Persian version demonstrated a high content validity (80.95±0.222). The Spearman correlation coefficients of the test and retest scores ranged from r=0.84 for performance to r=0.87 for satisfaction and this indicated a high correlation between scores and acceptable reliability of the Persian version of COPM.

Conclusion: It was concluded that the Persian version of COPM can be applied reliability to mothers of children with CP and it can be used for clinical as well as research purposes.

Key words: Canadian occupational performance measure, Mother, Cerebral palsy, Validity, Reliability