This
very special form of therapy was developed by Jan Utley and
Susan Woll. They both were close associates to Mr. and Mrs.
Bobath and bear their spiritual heritage.
Sci-Art evolved from
- the groundbreaking work of Mr. and Mrs. Bobath,
- the findings of forced-use research and
- from the general findings of brain-research.
As to the
'founding-parents', it is of particular importance to Jan
Utley and Susan Woll to integrate future research findings
in the therapy and to keep the concept open to change.
Philosophy of sci-ART Therapy by Susan P. Woll and
Jan J. Utley
We believe in the potential for the recovery of motor
control in clients with Neurological dysfunction. Throughout
30 years of our work in the handling of clients with neurological
deficits and also in the teaching of these strategies
to therapists, our belief system has remained unchanged.
What has changed is the amount of extensive research substantiating
this belief in recovery. This scientific evidence has
made us even more enthusiastic and committed to the development
of more effective handling strategies.
Karl and Berta Bobath first imparted the seed for our belief
in the potential for recovery to us in the 1970’s and
early 80’s. It was during these years that we worked
and trained with them in the development of handling skills
consistent with this philosophy in the management of adults
with hemiplegia and children with cerebral palsy.
The motivation in creating these types of handling strategies
prompted us to further study research on the acquisition of
motor skills and neural plasticity as the basis for motor
recovery. Between 1980 and the year 2000 a substantial body
of research was available describing the theoretical constructs
by which recovery occurs in the Central Nervous System. This
information generated from the research in neuroscience has
motivated us to continue to develop handling strategies that
reflect the results of the current research.
Research in strategies known as Constraint Induced Movement
therapy has also influenced us in the creation of handling
strategies that are more intense in forcing the use of
the involved body segments to stimulate more accelerated
recovery of motor control. Neuroscientists have acknowledged
such strategies as essential for the processes that create
conditions that are more optimal for recovery.
In 2002 we developed and engaged in a Research Project designed
to identify handling strategies that could result in a more
rapid and complete recovery of upper extremity function for
clients with more severe levels of motor dysfunction caused
by Stroke or Brain Injury.
 You can download this article in our Download-section.
The positive results of this research significantly strengthened
our belief
in the potential for motor recovery in this population
of clients.
Based on our philosophy it is our goal to provide the
therapeutic intervention making recovery possible available
to clients with Neurological deficits.
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