The F-Words are the adaptation proposed by Rosenbaum for the treatment of childhood disability and cerebral palsy, based on International Classification of Functionality (CIF). The CIF was born from the World Health Organization (WHO) with the objective to provide a category approach to the treatment of disability.
At the Aspace Catalunya Foundation, our professionals take into account the referential framework of the F-Words to apply them in the treatment of users with cerebral palsy and other neurodevelopmental pathologies.
According to Dr. Lydia Vargas, Neuropediatrician of the CDIAP and head of the ServiceSpecialized Outpatient Care of Aspace Catalunya: "All children grow very quickly and our goal is to find a way to effectively help them in this process and that they develop with the greatest possible independence, and that, in the future, they feel equally integrated in the community".
CIF: The starting point for the F-Words
The acronym CIF corresponds to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health carried out by the WHO. It is a universal classification that establishes a framework and a language to describe health and the dimensions related to it.
Under the terms Functioning and Disability, bodily functions, activity and participation are integrated, which depend on the health condition and the interaction of the person with contextual factors.
The CIF has served for years as a frame of reference for many professionals dedicated to work with disabled people and to improve their lifestyle.
In 2011, Drs Rosenbaum and Gorter published the paper The "F words" in child disability: I swear that's how we should think!. The F-Words are an adaptation of the CIF made by these two professionals with the aim of adapting to the specific conditions of children's disabilities.
What are the F-Words?
According to Rosenbaum and Gorter the F-Words are 6 words that should be the focus that children's disabilities should have on a medical and social level. In fact, both disciplines feed back on each other. These words are: "Function, Family, Fitness, Fun, Friends and Future". In Catalan: "Function, Family, Exercise, Fun, Friends and Future".
Function – Function
The Function is the activity and, in the case of children, the first thing they do is play. By playing they develop different skills and it helps their stimulation in many ways. As for the CIF, the Function can be linked to the Activity and Participation sections.
At a professional level, we must provide the necessary environment to develop the functions of the disabled child, according to their clinic and age they can go to special education schools i occupational day centers, for example.
Family - Family
When we relate this section to the CIF, this would correspond to the Environment. In the case of children with disabilities, their relatives are those who spend more time with them; those who help them the most and those who know him the most. Therefore, they are key in the rehabilitation process.
Exercise – Fitness
Exercising is positive for a person's physical and emotional health. The adapted sport falls within the rehabilitation guidelines of the Aspace Catalunya Foundation. If the child cannot do sports activities of any kind, physiotherapy is used.
Fun – Fun
The use of participatory activities to build confidence, competence and capacity in children. Decide activities together and adapt them, if necessary, so that they feel comfortable doing them is one of the ways to carry out this practice. Having hobbies and practicing them is essential to have a decent life from childhood.
Friends
Social development is one of the essential aspects of the individual's personality. It is very important to provide opportunities for group activities since the satisfaction of feeling accepted and loved increases emotional well-being.
Future - Future
Nothing is impossible and there are fewer and fewer barriers in our society to that children with neurodevelopmental pathologies or diverse abilities can dream of having a dignified life: a job they like, the studies that motivate them the most...
Application of the F-Words at the Aspace Catalunya Foundation
On November 14 and 15 of this year, the International Symposium on Child Development Disorders and Child Neurorehabilitation, organized by the Rehabilitation Service of the Level II Hospital Walter Khon Oruro-Bolivia, with professionals from Spain, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico and Bolivia. Dr. Lydia Vargas, Aspace specialist, participated explaining “The Importance of F-Words in Children with Disabilities".
Currently in Aspace the application of the F-Words is done in a slightly different way to the original article, as explained by Dra. Vargas:At the moment at Aspace we have not implemented the standardized method of F-Words but we do rely on its concept. We believe that work focused on the child, his family and his environment changes the perspective of the treatment of disability and improves the bonding of families and the degree of satisfaction is much higher".
That is, the application does not follow the script to the letter, although, “at Aspace we take into account the referential framework of the F-Words, working in Specialized Outpatient Care with the categories and levels of the CIF at different ages and from different areas (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, technological resources, medical assessments, etc.)”.
Bibliography
Rosenbaum P, Gorter JW. The 'F-words' in childhood disability: I swear this is how we should think! Child Care Health Dev. 2012 Jul;38(4):457-63. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2011.01338.x. Epub 2011 Nov 1. PMID: 22040377.
Soper, AK, Cross, A., Rosenbaum, P., & Gorter, JW (2020). Knowledge translation strategies to support service providers' implementation of the «F-words in Childhood Disability». Disability and rehabilitation, 1–7. Advance online publication.
World Health Organization (2001) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland version in Spanish. International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. WHO 2001.
