Joint-Specific Play Controller for Upper Extremity Therapy: Feasibility Study in Children With Wrist Impairment.

Background: Challenges with any therapeutic program for children include the level of the child's engagement or adherence. Capitalizing on one of the primary learning avenues of children, play, the approach described in this article is to develop therapeutic toy and game controllers that require specific and repetitive joint movements to trigger toy/game activation.

Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate a specially designed wrist flexion and extension play controller in a cohort of children with upper extremity motor impairments (UEMIs).

Wrist range of motion and motion frequency during toy and game play with a joint-specific controller specially designed to provide neuromuscular therapy: A proof of concept study in typically developing children.

Upper extremities affected by hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP) and other neuromuscular disorders have been demonstrated to benefit from therapy, and the greater the duration of the therapy, the greater the benefit. A great motivator for participating in and extending the duration of therapy with children is play. Our focus is on active motion therapy of the wrist and forearm.