Tafforeau, M., Pouyfaucon, M., Tessiot, C., Van Bogaert, P., Dinomais, M., & Richard, I.
Motricité Cérébrale, Volume 7736, Issue 3, 10/2022, Pages e1-e2, ISSN 0245-5919. doi: 10.1016/j.motcer.2022.04.002
Mediation/Education :
Since its appearance in France in the 1950s-1960s, the definition of polyhandicap has become both more precise and more complex. Internationally, Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities (PIMD) is the term closest to “polyhandicap”. However, these two terms do not correspond exactly to the same approaches.
The authors have therefore sought to better define the concept of polyhandicap in order to facilitate its use in international scientific publications. The aim of this study was to explore the representations associated with multiple disabilities among a number of people working with people with multiple disabilities (doctors, rehabilitation specialists, carers, administrative staff).
Thirty-three semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the perceptions of each stakeholder concerning the definition of polyhandicap, its assessment and management.
The results of these interviews highlight certain common elements, such as multiple disabilities as a condition and not as a specific pathology, and the combination of motor and intellectual impairments that have an impact on autonomy and communication. However, the diversity of representations of polyhandicap among French players involved in this field encourages a certain amount of confusion. For example, some players considered profound mental retardation to be part of the definition, while others noted the importance of variability in mental retardation.
Based on the International Classification of Functioning (ICF), the authors discuss the interweaving of three approaches – medical, functional and social – to the concept of polyhandicap. They conclude that the specificities of this French concept make it difficult to use the term “polyhandicap” in an international context, and stress the need to set up an international committee to discuss a common terminology.