REHABILITATION PROMOTES FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT IN ATYPICAL POPULATIONS

The suggestion that movement disorders exhibited by people with centra l nervous system (CNS) dysfunction should be considered normal and the refore not rehabilitated is rejected from three standpoints: (1) the C NS does not always select the best movement patterns for optimal long term outcome, (2) there is literature demonstrating that rehabilitatio n enhances motor function and independence, and (3) there exists a cap acity for motor recovery and motor skill learning following brain dama ge.