PTA208

Physical Therapy Interventions 4

Explores principles of motor behavior in neurological rehabilitation throughout the lifespan. Emphasizes motor control, motor learning, locomotor training and neurological therapeutic exercises. Addresses architectural barriers, training in daily living activities, orthotics, and prosthetics. Integrates the biopsychosocial model and knowledge of clinically relevant pathological conditions into clinical decision making for the performance of data collection, selection of interventions, and related communications in treatment of neurological patients with co-morbidities. Highlights safe, effective, and efficient practice through delineation of common ‘Red Flags’ to terminate unsafe interventions or practice conditions. Prerequisite: PTA 203 and PTA LB4 with a grade of “C” or better. Corequisite: PTA LB5.

Course Learning Outcomes:

1. Outline typical neurodevelopmental growth including motor learning and formulation of motor control. Compare and contrast typical and atypical movement behaviors, communication, and mentation.
2. Summarize the pathophysiology and clinical manifestation of common neurologic and neurodevelopmental disorders, traumas including limb loss, and diseases treated in physical therapy.
3. Sequence, in proper order, the neurodevelopmental milestones humans attain during development of motor skills.
4. Move an individual physically through the developmental sequence using safe and appropriate handling skills, which must include body alignment, facilitation of weight shifting, adjustment of assistance and effective hand placement.
5. Identify and delineate movements, signs and symptoms typical for common disorders of impaired postural control and balance.
6. Perform and interpret commonly utilized tests and measures used for data collection with persons having impaired neurodevelopment, trauma or disease of the nervous system.
7. Accurately assign an individual’s level of functioning using a variety of tests and measures commonly used in physical therapy within the International Classification of Functioning (ICF) levels.
8. Apply accurate and safe motor learning strategies, therapeutic exercise, guided functional movement skills, proprioceptive facilitation, and locomotor training to a variety of patient scenarios and surrogate patient simulations working towards functional goals.
9. Demonstrate adjustment to treatment techniques and surrogate patient handling, based upon simulated or real-time biopsychosocial challenges, co-morbidities and/or performance feedback including state of arousal, mentation, or cognition.
10. Provide instructions and demonstrate to a surrogate patient activities of daily living skills, mobility techniques, and safe patient handling for simulated scenarios.
11. Identify and list architectural barriers and safety hazards commonly occurring in various settings such as home, community, and work environments.
12. Propose strategies, adaptive equipment, orthotic/prosthetic options to optimize accessibility within these identified environments from collected observations and data.

Effective Term: Fall 2025

Registration Options & Class Search