Background: Children with motor impairments affecting the upper extremity benefit from task-specific therapy, such as constraint-induced movement therapy. However, there is a need to improve engagement and compliance with task-specific exercise programs that target manual dexterity for children with cerebral palsy (CP). A computer game-based rehabilitation (GRP) platform was developed that combines fine manipulation and gross movement exercises with engaging game activities appropriate for young children with CP.
Objective: The objectives of this qualitative analysis were to compare parents' perspectives and opinions about expectations, challenges, and benefits between 2 interventions.
Methods: A mixed methods, randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted to examine the feasibility and estimate the effect size of 2 exercise programs for rehabilitation of manual dexterity of children with CP using either GRP or conventional therapy. Parents of 26 of the children who completed the GRP program (n=33) and parents of 15 of the children who completed the conventional therapy program (n=27) participated in the interviews. A general conductive approach was used to analyze the data recorded during the parents' interviews.
Results: Five themes captured the range of the parent's experiences, viewpoints, and ideas: (1) parents' expectations, (2) child's engagement with therapy, (3) positive effects of the interventions, (4) challenges, and (5) improving the protocol.
Conclusions: Parents from both groups recognized that their expectations related to improving children's object handling and manipulation skills including participation in activities of daily life were addressed during the 16-week therapy program. Parents perceived a change in the children's level of independence in their daily tasks at home, school, and leisure activities.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02728375; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02728375.
Keywords: cerebral palsy; children; computer games, rehabilitation; computer game–based treatment protocol; fine motor function; game-based rehabilitation; gross movement; motor function; object manipulation; parents; parents' expectations.
©Anuprita Kanitkar, Sanjay Tejraj Parmar, Tony J Szturm, Gayle Restall, Gina Rempel, Nariman Sepehri. Originally published in JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology (https://rehab.jmir.org), 31.05.2021.