Evaluation of Effectiveness of Physical Therapy Programs in Developing Physical Ability for their Children with Physical Disabilities and the Barriers to these Programs in Eastern Jerusalem Region

The study aimed to identify parents' evaluation of effectiveness of physical therapy programsin developing physical ability oftheir children with physical disabilitiesand the barriers to these programs in Eastern Jerusalem Region.The study population consisted of a total number of 430 parents of children with physical disability receiving physical therapy services in special education schools in East Jerusalem.The study sample consisted of 314 parents (73% of the population) who responded and returned the questionnaires.Data was collected using the descriptive analytical method, where two questionnaireswere distributed: one to identifyparents’ evaluation of effectiveness of physical therapy programs provided to their children, and the second to understandtheir assessment of obstacles to these programs. The study showed that there werestatistically significant differences in parents’ assessmentfavoringmothers, statistically significant differences according to thedegree of disability for children favoring parents of children with moderate disability, and statistically significant differences in evaluation ofinternal and external obstacles favoring parents of children attending therapeutic kindergartens. The study provided somerecommendations the most important of whichwas promotingcommunication between physical therapists and parents.