The functional activities manipulation and adaptation (FAMA) approach in cerebral palsy: a treatment proposal with emphasis on motor learning

There are different approaches used by physiotherapists in the treatment of cerebral palsy (CP), but the majorities are based on theoretical and conceptual knowledge gained from the development of motor control. This work aims to present an approach for the treatment of cerebral palsy based on the knowledge of motor learning. When determining the advancements in studies on motor learning and that such knowledge can somehow assist the physiotherapist in the organization of their clinical intervention, the idea arose of developing a treatment approach that is based on the use of this knowledge of motor learning in the treatment of CP. The Functional Activities Manipulation and Adaptation (FAMA) approach is a physiotherapeutic proposal in the treatment of CP that uses the nominal language of the ICF and, to arrange treatment, uses clinical experience with the best evidence available and the needs of the patient. Its main objective is to provide functionality for mobility, through the knowledge of motor learning, focusing on the classification of functional skills, structures and factors that influence practice. Motor learning is the greatest difference of the FAMA approach, where the knowledge acquired through motor learning seeks to organize the physiotherapy treatment for CP.