title: Treatment of congenital hemiparesis with pediatric constraint-induced movement therapy.
abstract: To determine efficacy of pediatric Constraint-Induced Movement therapy, 20 children with congenital hemiparesis (ages 2 to 6 years) were randomly assigned to receive the treatment or usual care. Controls crossed over to the therapy after 6 months. Children receiving the therapy first exhibited emergence of more new classes of motor patterns and skills (eg, crawling, thumb-forefinger prehension; 6.4 vs 0.02, P < .0001, effect size d = 1.3), and demonstrated significant gains in spontaneous use of the more affected arm at home (2.2 vs 0.1, P < .0001, d = 3.8) and in a laboratory motor function test. Depending on the measure, benefits were maintained (range, no loss to 68% retention over 6 months). When controls crossed over to the therapy, they exhibited improvements as great as or greater than those receiving therapy first. Thus, Constraint-Induced Movement therapy appears to be efficacious for young children with hemiparesis consequent to congenital stroke.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, USA. etaub@uab.edu
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Taub
authors.forename: Angi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Griffin
authors.forename: Gitendra
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Uswatte
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gammons
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nick
authors.forename: Charles R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Law
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D010291:Paresis / Q000151:congenital* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010372:Pediatrics; D012149:Restraint, Physical / Q000379:methods*