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175 active trials for Cerebral Palsy

The FBRI VTC Neuromotor Research Clinic

The FBRI VTC Neuromotor Research Clinic was established and opened in May of 2013 to provide intensive therapeutic services to individuals with motor impairment secondary to neuromotor disorders. It is direct by Dr. Stephanie DeLuca and based on the principles surrounding ACQUIREc Therapy. ACQUIREc Therapy is an evidenced-based approach to pediatric constraint-induced movement therapy, which refers to a multi-component form of therapy that is focused on helping children who have asymmetric motor abilities between the two sides of the body. Historically, ACQUIREc Therapy has the unimpaired or less impaired upper extremity constrained (by a cast or a splint) while also receiving active therapy from a specially trained therapist who shapes new skills and functional activities with the child's more impaired upper extremity but who is also a licensed Occupational or Physical Therapist (OT/PT). Therapy dosages are high much higher than tradition OT or PT - often lasting many hours per day, up to 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 2-4 weeks. Investigators have developed further treatments based on the same principles of intensive services combined with behavior shaping for other areas of the body that are also affected by weakness (e.g., the leg and trunk) also, but which usually do not involve constraint. These have been more generally labeled ACQUIRE Therapy. All forms involve intensive, play-based therapy for children with asymmetric motor impairments of the arms and hands. The primary focus of treatment is to facilitate the acquisition of new motor skills in the child's weaker body parts through high levels of intensive therapy using scientifically-based behavioral guidelines. Therapy is also delivered in naturalistic environments. ACQUIREc Therapy as a treatment method has been tested in two randomized controlled trials, and a specific manual for its implementation has been developed. Dr. (s) Ramey and DeLuca previously founded a similar clinic, The Pediatric Neuromotor Research Clinic, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where Dr. DeLuca directed the research clinic for 13 years and oversaw the implementation of the ACQUIREc Therapy treatment protocol in more than 400 cases. This research will involve analyzing and interpreting the clinical data of children going through clinical procedures at the FBRI VTC Neuromotor Research Clinic. All participation is voluntary and no children will denied services if families choose not to participate.

Start: January 2013
Speech Motor Treatment in Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most frequent cause of motor disability worldwide, with a prevalence of 2-2.5 per 1000 live births. Children with CP may experience a variety of difficulties with communication including speech. Communication impairment has been identified in at least 40% of children with CP, with 36-90% of CP children experiencing motor speech impairment. The aims of the current project are to test the effectiveness of intensive PROMPT treatment in a group of preschool children with CP and motor speech disorders (dysarthria/apraxia of speech) and to evaluate differences to the intervention response according to CP type, brain lesion severity and white matter integrity of corticospinal tract. We hypothesize that children with CP and motor speech disorders will benefit from 3 weeks of daily administration of PROMPT treatment and show measurable improvement of speech intelligibility on clinical and kinematic assessments, with 3 months stability. Outcome measures will include a standardized speech motor assessment as well as improvement in kinematic speech measures detected by a computerized system. We also hypothesize that children with dyskynetic CP will show more improvement induced by the PROMPT treatment as compared to children with spastic CP. We finally hypothesize that corticospinal microstructural integrity positively impact on intelligibility recovery, with children with better integrity having bigger improvements. Our study of PROMPT with children with varying types of CP meets current international priorities of testing and implementing effective, earlier interventions, therefore investing in the improvement infant's health based on evidence, as a future investment for individuals and the community.

Start: February 2020
Efficacy of the START-Play Program for Infants With Neuromotor Disorders

The purpose of this project is to evaluate the efficacy of Sitting Together And Reaching To Play (START-Play), an intervention designed to target sitting, reaching, and motor-based problem solving to improve development and readiness to learn in infants with motor delays or dysfunction. There is limited research examining the efficacy of early physical intervention on infants with neuromotor dysfunction. In addition, most early motor interventions have not been directly linked to learning, despite the research demonstrating an association between motor activity and cognitive skills. START-Play specifically targets motor skills that lead to greater physical exploration, which has been associated with improved problem solving and global development. A randomized controlled trial of START-Play will be conducted across four states to investigate the impact of the intervention on changes over time in sitting and reaching, subsequent changes in global cognitive development, and the mediating influences of motor skill changes and problem solving. The research team will conduct a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the impact of START-Play on motor development, motor problem solving, global development including cognitive problem solving of infants with neuromotor delay and dysfunction. Infants will experience either the intervention or services as usual for 3 months, with following testing at three time points up until 9 months post intervention. The researchers will determine whether the intervention leads to improved sitting and reaching, which leads to improved motor-based problem solving, which leads to improved global development and problem solving.

Start: January 2016
Nutritional Status and Family Strategies in Children With Cerebral Palsy.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is one of the neurological disorders that most often generates disability in pediatric age. Children with CP have a very high nutritional risk since their motor dysfunction causes coordination dysfunction in the processes of sucking, chewing and swallowing, which lead to insufficient intake. There are other difficulties in relation to feeding, such as the time required for feeding and the presence of gastrointestinal disorders. In addition, the families of children with CP develop different strategies that allow them to face reality. This research plan seeks to investigate the relationships between the nutritional status of children and adolescents with CP, food intake and family behavior according to the strategies they develop. This study will be observational, cross-sectional descriptive. The population will consist of children and adolescents from 2 to 18 years 11 months with a diagnosis of CP and their families attending health institutions in Córdoba. The minimum sample size in 187 subjects was calculated for an expected prevalence of 25% of feeding difficulties for an alpha 0.05 and a beta 0.20. It will be a successive sampling, until the desired sample is completed. The variables studied will be: age, weight, height, nutritional status, sex, type of CP, caloric and macro nutrient intake, type and feeding time, clinical difficulties related to feeding and family strategies For data analysis, normal continuous variables will be described in means with their standard deviations, with non-normal distribution in medians with their interquartile ranges. The daily food intake and macro nutrients will be calculated using the Food Analysis and Registration System software (SARA1.2.25). The relationship between the average energy intake, the nutritional status of children with CP and family strategies will be described. Interpretation of the data will be carried out, showing the relationship between the different areas, analyzing the connectivity of the ideas with the nutritional status.

Start: March 2019
The Effect of Sensory Integration Therapy on Upper Extremity Functions, Trunk Control and Balance in Children With Cerebral Palsy

In children with cerebral palsy, the interactions of the sensory systems, musculoskaletal system and central nervous system are damaged. This situation plays an important role in the realization of trunk control and upper extremity functions.When we look at the literature, it was seen that upper extremity functions were associated with trunk control and oscillation, and it was observed that upper extremity functions were improved in cases with increased trunk control and balance.In the studies, it was concluded that increasing the trunk control improves the static and dynamic balance.Ayres introduced the theory of sensory integrity in the 1970s and defined sensory integration as "the neurological process that organizes the senses coming from the person's body and the environment and makes it possible to use the body effectively in the environment".Sensory integration disorder is defined as the inability of a person to use the information he / she receives through his / her senses properly in order to continue his daily life properly.The incidence of sensory integration disorder in children with motor dysfunction such as cerebral palsy and central nervous system involvement is between 40 and 80%.In children with cerebral palsy, due to central nervous system damage, posture problems, lack of movement and functional deficiencies, sensory problems that can cause balance losses can be seen. When we look at the literature, it has been seen that there are studies on balance, trunk control and upper extremity functions in children with cerebral palsy, but among these studies, the inadequacy of studies that associate balance disorders and trunk control with sensory integration therapy was observed.In this study, the effects of sensory integration therapy on balance, trunk control and upper extremity functions in children with cerebral palsy will be investigated.Pediatric Balance Scale, Trunk Control Measurement Scale, Upper Extremity Skill Quality Scale will be used for balance assessment of individuals with cerebral palsy participating in the study.The study was planned as a single blind randomized control.Participants will be randomly divided into two groups, the control group will be given balance exercises that are included in the standard physiotherapy program, and the experimental group will be given sensory integration exercises for the vestibular system in addition to standard physiotherapy programs.The treatment program to be applied to both experimental and control groups will be carried out by a physiotherapist who has 7 years of experience in pediatric physiotherapy and has 6 years of active sensory integration therapy.Evaluations will be evaluated 3 times by a blinded physiotherapist experienced in the field of pediatrics before, after treatment and 8 weeks after the late period effects.

Start: February 2021
Long-Term Outcomes of Hip Interventions for Children With Cerebral Palsy

Children with severe cerebral palsy (CP) are at high risk for progressive hip displacement, associated with pain and contractures interfering with many aspects of care, comfort and quality of life. These children undergo many types of interventions, the optimal timing and effectiveness of which, remain unclear. In 2014, CIHR funded the CP Hip Outcomes Project (CHOP), an international multi-centre prospective longitudinal cohort study of children with severe (non-ambulant) CP with evidence of hip displacement defined as a Reimer's migration percentage (MP) of at least 30%. The study was designed to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of different treatment strategies to prevent or relieve symptoms associated with hip instability, using the validated Caregiver Priorities and Child Health Index of Life with Disabilities (CPCHILD ) questionnaire as the primary outcome measure of health-related quality of life © (HRQL) for this population. 650 patients enrolled from 28 sites in 11 countries, are actively being followed and will reach at least 2 years of follow-up at the end of 2019. This project, will study the impact of hip instability and its management in children with severe CP using the CPCHILD questionnaire that was developed specifically for this purpose. Although CHOP will define outcomes at 24 months, the outcomes are not expected to remain stable while the child is still growing. The inception cohort will need follow-up until skeletal maturity to track their long-term outcome trajectories.

Start: October 2019