[Evaluation of a program of application of the botulinum toxin type A in children with cerebral palsy in Vale do Jequitinhonha].

The scope of this study was to evaluate the effects of a public program of application of botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) in terms of muscle spasticity, range of motion, quality of gait, functional independence and quality of life of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP). A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 14 children with CP to evaluate the effects of three applications of BoNT-A, at intervals of three months. Children were assessed using the Modified Ashworth Rating Scale, the Manual Goniometer, the Physician Rating Scale, the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) and the Caregiver Questionnaire (CQ).

Concurrent validity and reliability of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale in premature infants.

Objective: To verify the concurrent validity and interobserver reliability of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) in premature infants followed-up at the outpatient clinic of Instituto Fernandes Figueira, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (IFF/Fiocruz), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Methods: A total of 88 premature infants were enrolled at the follow-up clinic at IFF/Fiocruz, between February and December of 2006. For the concurrent validity study, 46 infants were assessed at either 6 (n = 26) or 12 (n = 20) months' corrected age using the AIMS and the second edition of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, by two different observers, and applying Pearson's correlation coefficient to analyze the results.