In Rehabilitation Medicine we deal with patients who have permanent disabilities
as a result of congenital disorders, injury, or disease. We generally use three types of
interventions. The first type concerns medical interventions, for instance treatment of
spasticity in order to create a better starting point for functional movements. The
second type is teaching the patient new or modified functional movements. The third
type is to compensate for lost functions, for instance supplying a wheelchair when walking is impossible.
Teaching functional movements requires teaching skills. However, medical specialists in Rehabilitation Medicine have no specific training in education and teaching. This
book gives a very comprehensive overview of the principles of learning and teaching. It
helps to understand the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms of learning, which
is a special form of plasticity of the nervous system. It probably also helps to design
better and more effective rehabilitation programs.