Search

Background. A difficult birth at term (DBAT) may manifest as fetal acidosis and low Apgar scores and is often referred to as 'perinatal asphyxia,' especially when infants show signs of neonatal encephalopathy (NE). In contrast to DBAT resulting in moderate-to-severe NE, which is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, little is known about the prognosis of less severe forms of DBAT, with or without NE. Objective. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, Children & Youth Version activity 'mobility' and other neurodevelopmental sequelae in infants with DBAT at age 6 years. Methods. The index cohort (n=62; 35 boys, 27 girls) consisted of consecutive term infants with DBAT based on clinical criteria in a Dutch nonacademic hospital from 1999 to 2005. Neonatal encephalopathy was assessed according to the Samat grading system and excluded infants with severe NE. The matched reference cohort (n=81; 49 boys, 32 girls) consisted of healthy term infants. The primary outcome at 6 years was limited mobility (Movement Assessment Battery for Children score < 15th percentile). Secondary outcomes included learning and behavioral problems and the presence of minor neurological dysfunction. Results. Three children developed cerebral palsy and were excluded from analyses. Children with DBAT more often had limited mobility than children without DBAT (risk ratio [RR]=2.44; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 1.16, 5.14). The risk of limited mobility rose with increasing severity of NE (mild NE: RR=3-38; 95% CI=1.40, 8.16; moderate NE: RR=4.00; 95% 0=1.54, 10.40), and manual abilities especially were affected (RR=4.12; 95% 0=1.40, 12.14). Learning problems, need for physical therapy, and complex minor neurological dysfunction were more common in children with DBAT than in children without DBAT. Conclusions. Term infants who develop mild or moderate NE following DBAT are at increased risk for limited mobility at age 6 years. Routine monitoring of neuromotor development in these children is warranted., In industrialized countries, 1 in 1,000 infants has a difficult birth at term (DBAT), (1) which may manifest as an abnormal fetal cardiotocogram, fetal acidosis, and low Apgar scores. (2,3) [...]

Background. It is debatable whether adaptive riding (AR) in children with cerebral palsy (CP) improves postural control and gross motor development. Objective. The study aim was to explore the feasibility of an extensive assessment protocol for a randomized controlled trial of therapist-designed adaptive riding (TDAR) in children with CP, with the goals of assessing the effect on child outcomes and evaluating working mechanisms of sitting postural control. Design. A pretest-posttest group design with 2 baseline measurements was used. Methods. Six children (1 girl, 5 boys; age range = 6-12 years, median age = 8 years 9 months) with bilateral spastic CP (Gross Motor Function Classification System level III) participated. Outcomes were evaluated 3 times (T0, T1, and T2) at 6-week intervals. T0 and T1 were baseline measurements; between T1 and T2, a TDAR intervention including an integrated program of postural challenge exercises (2 times per week for 1 hour) was applied. The complex protocol included the 88-item Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-88) and electromyographic (EMG) recording of postural muscle activity during reaching while sitting (EMG recording at T1 and T2 only). Results. The protocol was feasible. Median GMFM-88 scores changed from 64.4 at T0 to 66.7 at T1 and from 66.7 at T1 to 73-2 at T2. The change scores for all children exceeded the minimal clinically important difference of the GMFM-88. Five of 6 children showed a decrease in stereotyped top-down recruitment between T1 and T2. Limitations. Study limitations included the lack of a control group, small sample size, and potential assessor bias for all but the EMG parameters. Conclusions. The feasibility of the complex protocol was established. The data suggested that a 6-week TDAR intervention may improve gross motor function and may reduce stereotyped postural adjustments in children with CP. The limited results warrant replication in a well-powered randomized controlled trial., Equine-assisted activities and therapies are frequently used in children with cerebral palsy (CP). (1,2) However, it is debatable whether equine-assisted activities and therapies are effective in reducing bodily impairments, such [...]

Background. Evidence for effectiveness of pediatric physical therapy in infants at high risk for developmental motor disorders is limited. Therefore, 'Coping With and Caring for Infants With Special Needs' (COPCA), a family-centered, early intervention program, was developed. The COPCA program is based on 2 components: (1) family involvement and educational parenting and (2) the neuromotor principles of the neuronal group selection theory. The COPCA coach uses principles of coaching to encourage the family's own capacities for solving problems of daily care and incorporating variation, along with trial and error in daily activities. Objective. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the content of sessions of the home-based, early intervention COPCA program differs from that of traditional infant physical therapy (TIP) sessions, which in the Netherlands are largely based on neurodevelopmental treatment. Setting. The study was conducted at the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands. Design. A quantitative video analysis of therapy sessions was conducted with infants participating in a 2-arm randomized trial. Patients and Intervention. Forty-six infants at high risk for developmental motor disorders were randomly assigned to receive COPCA (n = 21) or TIP (n = 25) between 3 and 6 months corrected age. Intervention sessions were videotaped at 4 and 6 months corrected age and analyzed with a standardized observation protocol for the classification of physical therapy actions. Outcome parameters were relative amounts of time spent on specific physical therapy actions. Results. The content of COPCA and TIP differed substantially. For instance, in TIP sessions, more time was spent on facilitation techniques, including handling, than in COPCA sessions (29% versus 3%, respectively). During COPCA, more time was spent on family coaching and education than during TIP (16% versus 4%, respectively). Limitations. The major limitation of the study was its restriction to the Netherlands, implying that findings cannot be generalized automatically to other countries. Conclusion. The COPCA program differs broadly from TIP as applied in the Netherlands. Studies on the effectiveness of this family-centered program are needed., The evidence of the effectiveness of traditional physical therapy, based on neurodevelopmental treatment, in infants with special needs is inconclusive. This study describes the family-centered program 'Coping With and Caring [...]

Background. Systematic reviews have suggested that early intervention by means of specific motor training programs and general developmental programs in which parents learn how to promote infant development may be the most promising ways to promote infant motor and cognitive development of infants with or at high risk for developmental motor disorders. Objective. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a recently developed pediatric physical therapy intervention program ('Coping With and Caring for Infants With Special Needs' [COPCA]) on the development of infants at high risk for developmental disorders using a combined approach of a 2-arm randomized trial and process evaluation. Setting. The study was conducted at the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands. Participants and Intervention. Forty-six infants at high risk for developmental disorders were randomly assigned to receive COPCA (a family-centered program) (n=21) or traditional infant physical therapy (TIP) (n=25) between 3 to 6 months corrected age (CA). Developmental outcome was assessed by blinded assessors at 3, 6, and 18 months CA with a neurological examination, the Alberta Infant Motor Scales, the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory, and the Mental Developmental Index (MDI) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. Contents of the intervention were analyzed by a quantitative video analysis of therapy sessions. Quantified physical therapy actions were correlated to evaluate associations between intervention and developmental outcome components. Results. The trial revealed that developmental outcome in both groups was largely identical. Process evaluation showed that typical COPCA actions--(1) family involvement and educational actions, (2) application of a wide variation in challenging the infant to produce motor behavior by himself or herself and allowing the infant to continue this activity, and (3) stimulation of motor behavior at the limit of the infant's capabilities--had positive correlations with developmental outcome at 18 months CA. The use of handling techniques was negatively associated with the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory outcome at 18 months CA. Limitations. Major limitations were the limited size of the groups studied and the differences between the groups in frequency and duration of physical therapy sessions. Conclusion. Extending the randomized trial with process evaluation was needed to obtain insight into associations between the components of intervention and developmental outcome. Specific therapist behaviors of parent coaching are associated with improved developmental outcome measures. Further studies are needed to examine whether these associations are caused by therapist behavior or whether therapist behavior is modified by children's motor skills., The evidence for the effectiveness of pediatric physical therapy for infants with developmental disorders is inconclusive. Specific motor-training programs and general developmental programs seem to offer the most promise in [...]

This article reviews developmental processes in the human brain and basic principles underlying typical and atypical motor development. The Neuronal Group Selection Theory is used as theoretical frame of reference. Evidence is accumulating that abundance in cerebral connectivity is the neural basis of human behavioral variability (ie, the ability to select, from a large repertoire of behavioral solutions, the one most appropriate for a specific situation). Indeed, typical human motor development is characterized by variation and the development of adaptive variability. Atypical motor development is characterized by a limited variation (a limited repertoire of motor strategies) and a limited ability to vary motor behavior according to the specifics of the situation (ie, limited variability). Limitations in variation are related to structural anomalies in which disturbances of cortical connectivity may play a prominent role, whereas limitations in variability are present in virtually all children with atypical motor development. The possible applications of variation and variability in diagnostics in children with or at risk for a developmental motor disorder are discussed., Human behavior is characterized by variation: each human individual has a large repertoire of motor, cognitive, and social actions that can be arranged in virtually endless combinations. This repertoire allows [...]

Background and Purpose Because it is debatable whether seat surface inclination improves motor function in children with cerebral palsy (CP), the effect of seat surface tilting on postural control and quality of reaching was studied. Subjects The subjects were 58 children with CP aged 2 to 11 years (34 with unilateral spastic CP, 24 with bilateral spastic CP). Methods During the task of reaching movements, surface electromyographic and kinematic data were recorded for posture and reaching with the dominant arm in 3 sitting conditions: horizontal seat surface, seat surface tilted forward 15 degrees, and seat surface tilted backward 15 degrees. Results In the children with unilateral spastic CP, forward tilting improved postural efficiency and quality of reaching. In the children with bilateral spastic CP, both forward and backward tilting of the seat surface was associated with more postural instability and did not affect the quality of reaching. Discussion and Conclusion The results suggest that, in terms of postural control and quality of reaching, children with unilateral spastic CP benefit from a forward-tilted position and children with bilateral spastic CP benefit from a horizontal sitting position., Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often are hampered by dysfunctional postural control. (1,2) It is debatable whether postural control of sitting in children with CP can be enhanced by inclination [...]