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Aim: To investigate potential changes in mirror movements after Hand and Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy Including Lower Extremity (HABIT-ILE) training in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP)., Method: Thirty-one children with unilateral CP (mean age 9 years 4 months, SD 4 years 3 months; range 5 years 4 months-17 years 3 months; 14 females, 17 males) were randomized to either a control or treatment group. After allocation, children were assessed three times: before (T1, baseline) and after (T2) a 2-week interval and again at 3 months after T1 (T3) as follow-up. Between T1 and T2, the treatment group received 90 hours of HABIT-ILE training, while the control group continued their customary treatment. Mirror movements were assessed in all children using the Woods and Teuber Scale, as well as the Assisting Hand Assessment, Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory, and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure., Results: Repeated measures analysis of variance indicated a significant decrease in mirror movements in the more-affected (mean difference = 0.97; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.51-1.42; p < 0.001) and less-affected (mean difference = 0.71; 95% CI = 0.37-1.0; p < 0.001) hands of children after HABIT-ILE; these improvements were maintained at the 3-month follow-up. Moreover, the mirror movement changes observed at the second assessment (T2) were inversely correlated with changes in the assessment of activities of daily living, especially in the less-affected hand., Interpretation: HABIT-ILE decreased the intensity of mirror movements in a group of children with CP. Furthermore, mirror movement changes were associated with bimanual performance and activities of daily living in these children., What This Paper Adds: The intensity of mirror movements decreased in both hands after 2 weeks of Hand and Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy Including Lower Extremity (HABIT-ILE) training. Mirror movement changes were maintained at the 3-month follow-up after HABIT-ILE. Mirror movement changes were associated with improvements in bimanual performance and activities of daily living., (© 2022 Mac Keith Press.)

Aim: To assess the reliability and to evaluate the responsiveness of both the Jebsen-Taylor Test of Hand Function (JTTHF) and the Box and Block Test (BBT) in children with cerebral palsy (CP)., Method: In this retrospective study, the reliability analyses were conducted with paired t-tests considering a short (mean 14d) and a long (mean 120d) time in between two assessment periods. In addition, an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess the level of congruency. The responsiveness to therapy was conducted with a paired t-test in the whole sample regarding the age, the manual ability level as classified with the Manual Ability Classification System (MACS), and the topography., Results: Our main results confirmed the tests' reliability in a short time period for the JTTHF in both hands and for the BBT on the less affected hand. These results were consistent with the ICC. The responsiveness was confirmed, except on the less affected hand for the JTTHF, with similar results for age, MACS, and topography approach., Interpretation: This study supports the use of the JTTHF and the BBT to examine changes after short-term interventions for children with CP. These results should be interpreted with association to normative values or with a control group when used over long assessment periods., What This Paper Adds: The Box and Block Test (BBT) is reliable in a brief period of assessment in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The Jebsen-Taylor Test of Hand Function (JTTHF) is reliable in a brief period of assessment in children with CP. The JTTHF and BBT are responsive to changes in a brief period of intensive therapy in children with CP. The reliability and responsiveness of the JTTHF and BBT are weak over long assessment periods., (© 2019 Mac Keith Press.)