Page 1 of 5 Usefulness of Toys in Neurodevelopmental disorders-A Survey amongst Physiotherapists Rucha R Gadgil 1 and Isha S Akulwar 2 * 1 Student of M.P.Th. in Neurosciences, Institute: K. J. Somaiya college of Physiotherapy, Mumbai, India 2 M.P.Th. in Neurosciences, Associate Professor in Neurosciences Physiotherapy Institute: K. J. Somaiya college of Physiotherapy, Mumbai, India Received Date: October 01, 2019 Published Date: October 10, 2019 Research Article Copyright © All rights are reserved by Isha S Akulwar ISSN: 2641-1911 DOI: 10.33552/ANN.2019.05.000606 Archives in Neurology & Neuroscience *Corresponding author: Isha S Akulwar, M.P.Th.Neurosciences Physiotherapy, Associate Professor, K.J. Somaiya College of Physiotherapy, Mumbai, India. Introduction Currently, there are more than 150 million children in the world known to have a disability [1]. Neurodevelopmental disorders are defined as a group of heterogeneous conditions characterized by a delay or disturbance in the acquisition of skills in a variety of developmental domains, including motor, social, language, and cognition with severity ranging from mild to most severe [2]. It is unknown if the child’s mental delays are due to his own incapability or a merely lack of tools to help him learn and express himself. These disorders are also known to have an influence on the quality of life in children and may completely change their functional and cognitive abilities and further: life attitude [3]. Physical therapy and occupational therapy efforts in the pediatric population target reshaping of the nervous system, which is capable of reorganization and change through a variety of neural plasticity mechanisms, especially in the developing brain [4]. However, the key concerns of any therapeutic program especially in the pediatric population are maintaining patient motivation, level of engagement, and adherence. Children with neurodevelopmental delays have limited opportunities to explore their physical and social environment. These children are usually more passive than children without disabilities, when playing with objects and become more actively engaged if provided with appropriate stimuli (e.g., suitable toys, other objects and materials) that are fostered through social interactions and play [5]. Recent studies on constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) and robotic therapy have shown that intensive, goal-directed rehabilitation therapies substantially improve patients’ motor function and their participation in the community. However, such therapies are time- intensive or institution-based, and hence costly. Thus, there is a need for an engaging, inexpensive approach to neuro-muscular therapy [6]. Similarly, new rehabilitation techniques based on recent neuro-scientific advances have been suggested to enhance recovery and to promote brain plasticity in patients following brain damage. These techniques, however, have not focused on children nor have emerging methods, capitalized upon the primary learning avenue for children – playing. Play is a child’s natural need [7]. The role of play in the development of children has been extensively studied and it has already been proven that play plays an important and large part in childhood [8]. A large body of work exists to This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License ANN.MS.ID.000606. Abstract Background: Neuromuscular disorders create profound movement disorders in children affecting their development physically and mentally. Considering the challenging circumstances of pediatric population with developmental disorders therapeutic toys can prove to be beneficial in therapy in achieving both functional goals and psychological goals. This study aimed to assess Physiotherapists’ knowledge of use of therapeutic toys as an approach in therapy of children with developmental disabilities. Method: A semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire prepared on Google Forms was circulated among physiotherapists having experience in pediatric physiotherapy via social media. Data analysis was done by Google spreadsheet. Results: 102 physiotherapists responded. 99% were using toys with 80% using them constructively. 38% reported they did not know the impairments that can be targeted and properties that could be useful. 56% said there was no evidence of toys in therapy. Conclusion: Awareness regarding therapeutic use of toys is required in pediatric physiotherapists.