Habilitation (rehabilitation)

Habilitation refers to the process that helps a person learn, keep, or improve skills and functional abilities that they may not have ever developed or are not developing normally, as expected at their age, such as a child who is not talking as expected for his or her age.

Habilitation contrasts with "Rehabilitation" as latter relates to restoring earlier-existing skills or functioning, which currently stand lost maybe due to injury or illness or circumstances.[1] Also, habilitation differs from rehabilitation as it is primarily aimed at helping children and youth with limitations learn new functional skills they have never been able to perform, while rehabilitation targets more adults as focusing more on regaining a previously held functional skill.[2] A Swedish study on the implementation of World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, version for Children and Youth (ICF-CY) in Swedish habilitation services found that the ICF-CY enhanced awareness of families' views too, which corresponded to organizational goals for habilitation services.[3]

  1. ^ "Habilitation – What it is And Why it Matters to You". doi:10.1044/habilitation-what-it-is-and-why-it-matters-to-you (inactive 1 November 2024).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  2. ^ Bonello, M.; Buhagiar, N.; Farrugia, P.; Mercieca, J. (2024). "Unveiling the impact of the SMARTCLAP project on habilitation". Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal. 24: 451–463. doi:10.1016/j.csbj.2024.06.001. PMC 11226891. PMID 38975288.
  3. ^ Adolfsson, M.; Granlund, M.; Björck-Akesson, E.; Ibragimova, N.; Pless, M. (2010). "Exploring changes over time in habilitation professionals' perceptions and applications of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, version for Children and Youth (ICF-CY)". Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine. 42 (7): 670–678. doi:10.2340/16501977-0586. PMID 20603698.