Sucesos evolutivos influyentes en personas con parálisis cerebral adultas (20-30 años) y en su entorno familiar. Bases para un programa de intervención.

Zusammenfassung

The present research work intends to contribute to lessening difficulties coming from physical and social barriers encountered by people with cerebral palsy and their families, while at the same time improving both their integration into society and their quality of life. Its theoretical part focuses on the peoples reality of life from a global level, that is, their social context, to the most particular stage, that is, the families with people suffering from cerebral palsy. As well as this, some characteristics of families in general and points in common of families with disabled people are also discussed. Some features of the intervention programmes carried out in these families are analysed as well from the life-span perspective. The aims of the experimental work are to analyse the most influential events in the lives of the people who are the subject of this study (young adults with cerebral palsy and their parents) and the strategies they used to face them, which may contribute to lay the foundations for an intervention programme in families. The methodology used in the first stages was an interview with several people with this disability, which enabled us to draw up a grid so as to compile the way people with cerebral palsy, their mothers and fathers build their personal cognitive structure. The background report of each of the people with cerebral palsy also helped us gather together the most significant data in their personal histories. With all the data obtained in the field study, we carried out a double comparative study: on the one hand, inside each family unit, on the other hand, in three different groups: people with cerebral palsy, their mothers and their fathers. This work enabled us to reach a series of conclusions about these peoples perceptions, attitudes and concerns regarding their life events, and at the same time to realise the influence of certain aspects of the environment and their own personal experiences. Finally we compiled a series of characteristics we thought an intervention programme in these families ought to have and listed the strategies that professionals should make use of.