AOTA

Earn CE Credit With AJOT Articles!

Learn about tested treatment strategies by reading AJOT articles in your area of practice. Become an evidence-based practitioner and demonstrate your knowledge by passing the course exam.  Articles have been selected for their relevance to practice, fresh ideas, and strong evidence supporting treatment and the distinct value of OT.

This study examined the use of the adult neuroscience-based Sense© intervention with children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (HCP) to improve upper-limb somatosensory discrimination, motor function, and goal performance. Seventeen children with HCP (9 boys, 8 girls; mean age 5 10.2 yr) participated in this pilot matched-pairs trial with random allocation and 6-mo follow-up (intervention, n 5 7; control, n 5 10). The intervention group received Sense training 3·/wk for 6 wk (18 hr). Outcome measures included Goal Attainment Scaling, Sense_assess© Kids, and the Assisting Hand Assessment. The intervention group improved in goal performance, proprioception, and bimanual hand use and maintained improvement at 6-mo follow-up. The control group improved in occupational performance by 6-mo follow-up. .This study established the feasibility of using the Sense intervention in a pediatric setting and adds preliminary evidence to suggest that improving somatosensory function can improve motor function and goal performance among children with HCP.