Late Stage Huntington's Disease: Effect of Treating Specific Disabilities

Abstract

Huntington's disease is an hereditary degenerative condition resulting, eventually, in physical and mental, behavioural and emotional disability. Four severely affected patients were included in a multiple-baseline, single-case experimental design study to test the hypothesis that occupational therapy for specific activities would Improve function in those activities. There was no evidence of improvement resulting from specific treatment of activities over the 8-month observation period. However, only one patient deteriorated and, therefore it is possible that the occupational therapy input had a generalised effect In preventing the deterioration of activities, it is concluded that, in the severe form of Huntington's disease, intensive therapy for specific activities does not result in Improvement and that a more general programme may be more productive.