Teaching intermittent self-catheterization to young children with myelodysplasia.
A new technique is described which enables children with neurogenic bladder secondary to myelodysplasia to learn self-catheterization prior to their school years. Inexpensive dolls, complete with male or female genitalia, and a specially designed mirror to magnify the female children's genitalia, were used with four children (three girls, one boy) with mental ages of five years. Each child successfully demonstrated self-catheterization within two days, and gradual progress toward complete independence has been promoted.
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008591:Meningomyelocele / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001750:Urinary Bladder, Neurogenic / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014546:Urinary Catheterization / Q000379:methods*