A Systematic Review of the Scientific Literature for Rehabilitation/Habilitation Among Individuals With Pediatric-Onset Spinal Cord Injury

Pediatric SCI is a rare and devastating condition leading to lifelong neurological problems impacting the child and family. Management requires specific approaches centered on the child's physiology and development, considering both rehabilitation and habilitation. The review highlights a need to examine the research evidence to inform medical care, rehabilitation and identify areas where scientific evidence is lacking to inform research.

• 1
  The evidence for pediatric-onset SCI rehabilitation/habilitation is extremely limited; nearly all studies (98%) are level 4-5 evidence.
• 2
  The majority of studies examined outcomes that were related to the ICF category Body Structure and Function, specifically in the areas of depression and anxiety (n = 20; 11.4%).
• 3
  Commonly studied areas within the ICF domain Participation, the commonly studied areas were quality of life (n = 17; 9.7%), play and participation (n = 12; 6.8%), and life satisfaction (n = 12; 6.8%).