Precision measurement of rehabilitation interventions-a secondary analysis of motor error in a clinical trial with young children with cerebral palsy.

Introduction: The delivery of precision medicine in rehabilitation will require not only precise measurement of participant response, but also precise measurement of the "ingredients" of intervention and their dose. As an example, we report the measurement of motor error in two treatment groups from a randomized controlled trial in toddlers (mean age 26.3 months) with cerebral palsy (CP).

Hammersmith Neonatal and Infant Neurological Examinations Scores in Typically Developing Infants Aged 1-6 Months.

The Hammersmith Neonatal (HNNE) and Infant (HINE) Neurological Examinations are increasingly used to evaluate developing neuromotor control in infants at risk for physical disability, but there is no global consensus on score interpretation across the first 6 months after birth. We report scores for typically developing, full-term infants aged 1 month for the HNNE and aged 2-6 months for the HINE. The median HNNE and HINE scores are consistent with previously published data.

Type and Distribution of Gross Motor Activity During Physical Therapy in Young Children With Cerebral Palsy.

Objective: Physical therapists routinely deliver and prescribe motor practice to improve function. The ability to select optimal practice regimens is limited by a current lack of detail in the measurement of motor practice. The objective of this study was to quantify the type, amount, and timing of gross motor practice during physical therapist sessions.

A new methodological approach to characterize selective motor control in children with cerebral palsy.

Introduction: Despite being a primary impairment in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP), selective motor control (SMC) is not routinely measured. Personalized treatment approaches in CP will be unattainable without the ability to precisely characterize the types and degrees of impairments in motor control. The objective of this study is to report the development and feasibility of a new methodological approach measuring muscle activation patterns during single-joint tasks to characterize obligatory muscle co-activation patterns that may underly impaired SMC.

Towards an AI-driven soft toy for automatically detecting and classifying infant-toy interactions using optical force sensors.

It is crucial to identify neurodevelopmental disorders in infants early on for timely intervention to improve their long-term outcomes. Combining natural play with quantitative measurements of developmental milestones can be an effective way to swiftly and efficiently detect infants who are at risk of neurodevelopmental delays. Clinical studies have established differences in toy interaction behaviors between full-term infants and pre-term infants who are at risk for cerebral palsy and other developmental disorders.

Agreement Between the Gross Motor Ability Estimator-2 and the Gross Motor Ability Estimator-3 in Young Children With Cerebral Palsy.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the agreement between Gross Motor Ability Estimator-2 (GMAE-2) and Gross Motor Ability Estimator-3 (GMAE-3) calculations of Gross Motor Function Measure-66 (GMFM-66) scores in infants and young children with cerebral palsy.

Methods: Data from 53 children 5 to 53 months of age were analyzed. Agreement between GMFM-66 scores using the GMAE-2 and the GMAE-3 was calculated using Bland-Altman plots and interclass correlation coefficients (ICCs).

Quantifying interaction with robotic toys in pre-term and full-term infants.

Infants born pre-term are at an increased risk for developmental, behavioral, and motor delay and subsequent disability. When these problems are detected early, clinical intervention can be effective at improving functional outcomes. Current methods of early clinical assessment are resource intensive, require extensive training, and do not always capture infants' behavior in natural play environments.

Neurophysiological and gait outcomes during a dual-task gait assessment in concussed adolescents.

Background: Gait deficits are common after concussion in adolescents. However, the neurophysiological underpinnings of these gait deficiencies are currently unknown. Thus, the goal of this study was to compare spatiotemporal gait metrics, prefrontal cortical activation, and neural efficiency between concussed adolescents several weeks from injury and uninjured adolescents during a dual-task gait assessment.

Motor training for young children with cerebral palsy: A single-blind randomized controlled trial.

Aim: To compare the effect of iMOVE (Intensive Mobility training with Variability and Error) therapy with dose-matched conventional therapy on gross motor development and secondary outcomes in young children with cerebral palsy.

Method: This single-blind, randomized controlled trial included repeated assessments of gross motor function (using the Gross Motor Function Measure) and secondary outcomes during a 12- to 24-week intervention phase and at three follow-up points after treatment. Treatment was delivered three times per week in both groups.

Locomotor learning in infants at high risk for cerebral palsy: A study protocol.

Background: Physical disability in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) creates lifelong mobility challenges and healthcare costs. Despite this, very little is known about how infants at high risk for CP learn to move and acquire early locomotor skills, which set the foundation for lifelong mobility. The objective of this project is to characterize the evolution of locomotor learning over the first 18 months of life in infants at high risk for CP.

The relationship between family empowerment and fine motor, gross motor and cognitive skills in young children with cerebral palsy.

Background: Family empowerment in families of young children with cerebral palsy (CP) is an important consideration because the first few years of life can be overwhelming for parents. The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between family empowerment, fine motor (FM), gross motor (GM) and cognitive development in children with CP who were under 3 years of age.

Methods: Forty-one children with a mean age of 23.

Walking speed influences spatiotemporal but not symmetry measures of gait in children and adolescents with hemiplegia.

Background: The measurement of gait is likely influenced by walking speed in children with hemiplegia, but this relationship is not well characterized.

Research Question: What is the influence of walking speed on spatiotemporal and symmetry measures of gait in children with hemiplegia, with consideration of side and footwear condition?

Methods: Children with hemiparetic gait due to stroke were recruited for a small pilot intervention study. Participants walked at self-selected and fast speeds while barefoot and while wearing shoes.

Normalizing step-to-step variability to age in children and adolescents with hemiplegia.

Background: Children with hemiplegia often demonstrate gait deviations including increased variability and asymmetry. Step-to-step gait variability decreases over childhood and increases in the presence of neurologic dysfunction. Gait variability in children with hemiplegia should therefore be interpreted in reference to age-related norms RESEARCH QUESTION: Does conversion of the enhanced gait variability index (eGVI) to age-normalized z-scores improve interpretation of gait variability in children with hemiplegia?

Methods: Ten children (11.

A MEG compatible, interactive IR game paradigm for the study of visuomotor reach-to-target movements in young children and clinical populations: The Target-Touch Motor Task.

Background: The conventional focus on discrete finger movements (i.e., index finger flexion or button-box key presses) has been an effective method to study neuromotor control using magnetoencephalography (MEG).

Unweighting infants reveals hidden motor skills.

We investigated the role of rate limiting factors in development using walking as a model system. The achievement of bipedal posture and locomotion are among the most significant achievements in an infant's first year, with poor balance and weak muscles long proposed as the rate limiting factors. Compensating for either may reveal upright motor skill that has not yet emerged in the infant's natural repertoire.

Infants at risk for physical disability may be identified by measures of postural control in supine.

Background: Early detection of delay or impairment in motor function is important to guide clinical management and inform prognosis during a critical window for the development of motor control in children. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of biomechanical measures of early postural control to distinguish infants with future impairment in motor control from their typically developing peers.

Methods: We recorded postural control from infants lying in supine in several conditions.

The relationship between the Family Empowerment Scale and Gross Motor Function Measure-66 in Young Children with cerebral palsy.

Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common cause of motor disability in children. A concept to consider in order to meet the needs of children with CP and their families is family empowerment. Family empowerment can be defined as the process by which families acquire the skills, knowledge and resources to allow them to gain control and improve the quality of their lives.

The Use of Dynamic Weight Support with Principles of Infant Learning in a Child with Cerebral Palsy: A Case Report.

Aims: Typical infant movement is characterized by a high degree of motor exploration, error, and variability. However, children with cerebral palsy (CP) often cannot create these experiences due to their neuromotor impairments. The purpose of this case study is to describe a 6-month course of physical therapy (PT) incorporating principles of infant motor learning using dynamic weight support (DWS) in a child with CP.

Foot and Ankle Somatosensory Deficits Affect Balance and Motor Function in Children With Cerebral Palsy.

Sensory dysfunction is prevalent in cerebral palsy (CP). Evidence suggests that sensory deficits can contribute to manual ability impairments in children with CP, yet it is still unclear how they contribute to balance and motor performance. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between lower extremity (LE) somatosensation and functional performance in children with CP.

Linear and Nonlinear Measures of Postural Control in a Toddler With Cerebral Palsy: Brief Report.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe changes in linear and nonlinear measures of postural control along with motor outcomes in a young child with cerebral palsy.

Summary Of Key Points: Posturography in sitting and standing, the Gross Motor Function Measure-66 (GMFM-66), and the Early Clinical Assessment of Balance (ECAB) were performed prior to, during, and after physical therapy. The child demonstrated independent sitting throughout the study and developed independent standing during the study.

Construct Validity of the Early Clinical Assessment of Balance in Toddlers with Cerebral Palsy: Brief Report.

: The purpose of this research was to investigate differences in Early Clinical Assessment of Balance (ECAB) scores within children with cerebral palsy (CP) with different Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels and between children with CP and typical development (TD) who are under three years of age.: The ECAB was administered to fifty children (13 with TD, 16 with GMFCS level II, 11 with GMFCS level III, 10 with GMFCS level III).: The group of children of TD had significantly higher scores than all groups of children with CP.

Physical activity in non-ambulatory toddlers with cerebral palsy.

Background: Children with cerebral palsy are less likely to be physically active than their peers, however there is limited evidence regarding self-initiated physical activity in toddlers who are not able, or who may never be able, to walk.

Aims: The aim of this study was to measure self-initiated physical activity and its relationship to gross motor function and participation in non-ambulatory toddlers with cerebral palsy.

Methods And Procedures: Participants were between the ages of 1-3 years.

Wearables for Pediatric Rehabilitation: How to Optimally Design and Use Products to Meet the Needs of Users.

This article will define "wearables" as objects that interface and move with users, spanning clothing through smart devices. A novel design approach merging information from across disciplines and considering users' broad needs will be presented as the optimal approach for designing wearables that maximize usage. Three categories of wearables applicable to rehabilitation and habilitation will be explored: (1) inclusive clothing (eg, altered fit, fasteners); (2) supportive wearables (eg, orthotics, exoskeletons); and (3) smart wearables (eg, with sensors for tracking activity or controlling external devices).