Cerebral Palsy, Hemiplegia, Infantile
Conditions
Brief summary
Approximately 40% of children with ambulatory cerebral palsy have significant functional asymmetries in arm and hand function. Children with these significant functional asymmetries have difficulties using their more-affected (less preferred) arm and hand in daily activities, especially true in daily activities requiring bilateral hand and arm use. Recent research suggests that power mobility training provided via a ride-on toy may help to motivate these children to use their less preferred arm and hand. This research further notes that participation in power mobility training designed to encourage a child to use their less preferred arm and hand also may help to improve their arm and hand function and use in their daily activities. This exploratory study seeks to explore an innovative intervention using arm- and hand-use focused power mobility training activities, encompassing both navigational/maneuvering activities and embedded play-based reaching and grasping activities. During power mobility training activities, children will be asked to wear a soft mitten or sock on their preferred hand to help them remember to use their less preferred hand and arm. The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine both the effect and feasibility of a 6-week laboratory-based arm-and hand-use focused power mobility training program.
Interventions
OTHERArm- and hand-use focused power mobility training
These arm- and hand-use focused power mobility training activities will encompass both navigational/maneuvering activities and play-based reaching and grasping activities embedded into the navigational/maneuvering activities. During power mobility training activities, children will be asked to wear a soft mitten or sock on their preferred hand to help them remember to use their less preferred hand and arm.
Sponsors
Grand Valley State University
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
3 Years to 8 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Diagnosis of cerebral palsy * Demonstrates significantly less functional use of one arm and hand * Can get on and off the a ride-on toy with minimal assistance from the researchers * Can maintain a sitting position on the a ride-on toy * Has sufficient functional vision to safely maneuver the a ride-on toy * Has their own bicycle helmet that fits them well and is in good working condition
Exclusion criteria
* Hand or arm surgery within the past 6 months * Their weight exceeds device limits (more than 120 pounds) * They do not demonstrate sufficient balance and control in sitting to safely use the ride-on toy * If they cannot safely participate in arm- and hand-use focused power mobility training activities.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian Occupational Performance Measure | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 weeks | The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure rates parent/caregiver perceptions of their child's performance of 5 arm and hand skills. Each skill is rated from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 10. A higher score indicates a better outcome. The total score on all 5 items ranges from a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 50. A higher score indicates a better outcome. |
| ABILHAND-Kids-CP Questionnaire | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 weeks | The ABILHAND measures parents' perceptions of their child's manual ability and provides a comprehensive evaluation of the child's functional arm and hand ability. Parents estimate their child's ease or difficulty in performing 17 activities. Each activity is rated using a 3-point Likery scale as follows: 'Impossible=0, Difficult=1, Easy=2. Higher scores indicate a better outcome. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Shriner's Hospital Upper Extremity Evaluation | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 weeks | The Shriner's Hospital Upper Extremity Evaluationis a 16-item video-recorded test to assess spontaneous use and dynamic alignment of the affected UE during bimanual tasks. Higher scores indicate better outcomes. |
| Grip strength | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks | Children's grip strength will be measured bilaterally. Higher values indicate a better outcome. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
CONTACTLisa K. Kenyon, PT, DPT, PhD, PCS
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORLisa K. Kenyon, PT, DPT, PhD, PCS
Grand Valley State University
Outcome results
None listed