Bimanual Training in Children With Hemiplegia

Randomized Clinical Trial of Hand Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy (HABIT)

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01413594

Acronym

HABIT

Enrollment

Registered

2011-08-10

Start date

2011-07-31

Completion date

2014-12-31

Last updated

2021-04-19

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Cerebral Palsy, Children, Hemiplegia

Keywords

cerebral palsy, constraint-induced therapy, constraint-induced movement therapy, CP, hemiplegia, hand, forced use, motor control, children, HABIT, Hand-arm bimanual intensive therapy, bilateral training, bimanual training, functional therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, intensive, pediatric, development, upper extremity, hemiplegic, childhood stroke

Brief summary

A randomized control trial of bimanual training in children with hemiplegia. The protocols have been developed at Columbia University to be child friendly and draws upon our experience since 1997 with constraint-induced movement therapy in children with cerebral palsy. The investigators will test the hypothesis that bimanual training (HABIT) will result in improved hand function in children with hemiplegia.

Detailed description

A new treatment involving bimanual (Hand-Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy (HABIT). The protocols have been developed at Columbia University to be child friendly and draws upon our experience since 1997 with constraint-induced movement therapy in children with cerebral palsy. The investigators developed HABIT in 2004 as an alternative to constraint-therapy that avoids use of a restraint. The interventions are performed in a 15 day day-camp setting with several children and at least one therapist per child. The investigators have conducted 24 day camps to date since 2002, and are now collaborating with clinicians worldwide to expand our treatment availability. The aim is to promote the use of and improve the coordination of movement of both hands together. PARTICIPATION IS FREE. Please check out our website for more information: http://www.tc.edu/centers/cit/

Interventions

BEHAVIORALHABIT

90 hours of bimanual training over 3 weeks in a day camp environment

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Months to 16 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

\*willingness to agree to intervention and testing procedures and travel to the University for participation and testing

Exclusion criteria

* health problems not associated with CP * uncontrollable seizures * visual problems that would interfere with carrying out the intervention or testing * botulinum toxin therapy in the upper extremity musculature during the last six months or who wish to receive it within the period of study

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Change from baseline in quality of bimanual hand use at 12 months	12 months	Changes in quality of how the two hands are used during manual activity as determined from video analysis.
Change from baseline in manual dexterity at 12 months	12 months	Change from baseline in timed performance of standardized manual activities

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Change from baseline in upper extremity strength at 12 months	12 months	—
Change from baseline in range of upper extremity motion at 12 months	12 months	—
Change from baseline in goal achievement at 12 months	12 months	Change in caregiver ratings of activities identified as important goals by the caregiver

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026