Clinical research about emergences of slight movements and its meaning of life-activities in children with profound and multiple disabilities and specially concentrated health care needs

本研究的目的如下：一是找出和/或促进深度和多发性残疾儿童和特别集中的保健需要的儿童出现轻微运动的方法，二是调查这些运动在他们的生活活动和/或教育支持中的意义。在本研究中，研究对象是三名聋盲儿童，他们除了严重的运动和智力障碍外，还处于聋盲状态。通过使用传感器开关、定时器、盒式磁带播放机和振动式扬声器，他们被呈现给他们手或下巴手指轻微运动的触觉振动刺激和手上的音乐作为反馈。与无刺激期(休息时间)相比，他们在反馈期间可能运动的出现次数增加。其中一名4岁的男孩展示了四种不同的手指动作，这些动作的频率随着情况的不同而不同。另一名儿童，3岁女孩，在触觉振动刺激下，她的下巴可能运动增加，成人说话和唱歌的声音与上述音乐刺激相同。在严重和多发性残疾儿童身上观察到的这些轻微运动中的一些可能会被视为负面的，也就是说，作为非自愿运动。但目前的研究结果表明，这种运动也可能反映出一些积极的心理活动。

The purposes of present study were as follows; first was to find out methods to bring out and/or facilitate emergence of slight movements in children with profound and multiple disabilities and specially concentrated health care needs, and second was to investigate meaning of the movements in their life-activities and/or educational supports. In present study, subjects were three children who were in the condition of deafblind in addition to profound motor and intellectual disabilities. They were presented tactile-vibratory stimuli with music on their hands as feedback from slight movements of their fingers of hand or chin using sensor-switch, timer, cassette player, and vibratory-type speaker. They showed increases in emergences of their possible movements during feedback periods compared to no stimulus periods (resting time). One of them, 4-years-old boy, showed four types of his finger-movements which were different in frequency with situations. Another child, 3-years-old girl, showed increase of her possible movements of chin with tactile-vibratory stimuli with voice of adults talking and singing toward her same as above stimuli with music. Some of these slight movements observed in children with profound and multiple disabilities might be taken negatively, that is, as involuntary movements'. But results of present study suggest that such movements may also reflect some positive mental activities.