Note: This study is currently only recruiting patients in the hospital.
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Robot-assisted therapy to improve hand function in children with cerebral palsy
This project is not recruiting.
Overview
What we are studying
We are investigating the effectiveness of robot-assisted therapy for the improvement of hand function in children with cerebral palsy. In addition, we are trying to identify factors that help us personalize the intervention in order to achieve the best outcome. This study is supported by a grant from the Thrasher Research Fund.
Why it is important
Many children with cerebral palsy have impaired hand function. This leads to problems performing activities of daily living and can also affect quality of life. We need to identify ways to optimize hand function in those children to improve quality of life.
What we hope to accomplish
We will assess the effectiveness of robot-assisted therapy in improving hand function in children with cerebral palsy. We will also explore the role of certain patient characteristics in predicting therapy outcome.
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Principal Investigator
Who can participate
Children between the ages of 6 and 18 years diagnosed with cerebral palsy that have hand function impairments.
Who cannot participate
Children with very severe hand spasticity and those that have contraindications to robot-assited therapy.
What you may be asked to do
We will first ask participants to come to the Motion Analysis Laboratory of Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital for an initial evaluation. We will ask you to perform clinical tests and we will also assess your upper-limb movements. You will then undergo 18 sessions of robot-assisted training using the Amadeo from Tyromotion. After the training, we will ask you to come one more time to the Motion Analysis Laboratory where you will be asked to perform the same tasks as in the initial evaluation. Finally, one month after the end of training, we will ask you to fill out a questionaire and send it back to us.
Project activities may include:
- Survey
- Office visit
Estimated Time Commitment
21 sessions over 10 weeks
What You May Get
Subjects will be compensated based on the sessions completed. The compensation amount will be as follows: • $50 for evaluation sessions (up to 3) • $20 for intervention sessions (up to 18) Each subject (child) will receive in total $510 if he/she completes the whole study. Additionally, the cost of parking will be covered if the subject is driving to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.
Location
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
300 First avenue, Charlestown MA 02129
Travel
- Accessible by public transportation
- Parking available
- Parking reimbursed
Travel and Parking Details
Additional Information
Funding Source
- Foundation