Comparison of dosage of intensive upper limb therapy for children with unilateral cerebral palsy: how big should the therapy pill be?

This study aimed to compare efficacy of two dosages of modified constraint induced movement therapy (mCIMT) and bimanual therapy on upper limb and individualized outcomes for children with unilateral cerebral palsy. This secondary analysis included two separate randomized trials that compared equal doses (high or low) of mCIMT to bimanual therapy; Study 1 (full dose--60 h) n=64 and; Study 2 (half dose--30 h) n=18 for children aged five to 16 years with unilateral cerebral palsy. Outcomes for both studies included the Melbourne Assessment of Unilateral Upper Limb Function, Assisting Hand Assessment, Jebsen Taylor Test of Hand Function and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure which were administered at baseline, three and 26 weeks.

UP-BEAT (Upper Limb Baby Early Action-observation Training): protocol of two parallel randomised controlled trials of action-observation training for typically developing infants and infants with asymmetric brain lesions.

Introduction: Infants with asymmetric brain lesions are at high risk of developing congenital hemiplegia. Action-observation training (AOT) has been shown to effectively improve upper limb motor function in adults with chronic stroke. AOT is based on action observation, whereby new motor skills can be learnt by observing motor actions.

INCITE: A randomised trial comparing constraint induced movement therapy and bimanual training in children with congenital hemiplegia.

Background: Congenital hemiplegia is the most common form of cerebral palsy (CP) accounting for 1 in 1300 live births. These children have limitations in capacity to use the impaired upper limb and bimanual coordination deficits which impact on daily activities and participation in home, school and community life. There are currently two diverse intensive therapy approaches.