Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-13-2023

Comments

This article is the author’s final published version in Behavioral Sciences, Volume 13, Issue 8, August 2023, Article number 681.

The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13080681. Copyright © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to quantify characteristics of bimanual movement intensity during 30 h of hand-arm bimanual intensive therapy (HABIT) and bimanual performance (activities and participation) in real-world settings using accelerometers in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP). Twenty-five children with UCP participated in a 30 h HABIT program. Data were collected from bilateral wrist-worn accelerometers during 30 h of HABIT to quantify the movement intensity and three days pre- and post-HABIT to assess real-world performance gains. Movement intensity and performance gains were measured using six standard accelerometer-derived variables. Bimanual capacity (body function and activities) was assessed using standardized hand function tests. We found that accelerometer variables increased significantly during HABIT, indicating increased bimanual symmetry and intensity. Post-HABIT, children demonstrated significant improvements in all accelerometer metrics, reflecting real-world performance gains. Children also achieved significant and clinically relevant changes in hand capacity following HABIT. Therefore, our findings suggest that accelerometers can objectively quantify bimanual movement intensity during HABIT. Moreover, HABIT enhances hand function as well as activities and participation in real-world situations in children with UCP.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

PubMed ID

37622821

Language

English

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