Validity of Manipulation Taxonomy of Spastic Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy (CP) Forms

University of Modena and Reggio Emilia30 enrolled

Overview

In recent years Ferrari et al. proposed a new classification of manipulation in children with spastic hemiplegia which describes five different classes by analyzing and integrating the kinematic patterns of the hand and its functional use. The investigators believe that this classification provides the clinician with clinically meaningful information, by identifying the useful strategies spontaneously adopted by the children during manipulation tasks. The aim of this study is to determine the criterion validity of the new classification of the pattern of manipulation in children with spastic hemiplegia by correlating hand manipulation classes with both the scores of the Assisting Hand Assessment and the scores of the Melbourne Assessment of Unilateral Upper Limb Function.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

Conditions

Hemiplegia Cerebral Palsy

Interventions

classification of hand manipulation functionOTHER

To determine the criterion validity of the classification of the pattern of manipulation proposed by Ferrari et al. we correlated hand manipulation classes with both the scores of the two standard criteria chosen (AHA and Melbourne Assessment).

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 5 YearsMax age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion criteria: * clinical and instrumental (TC or RMN) diagnosis of child hemiplegia * age \> 5 years Exclusion criteria: * acquired hemiplegia at the age \> 3 years * anti-spastic drug inoculations or functional surgery on the plegic UE 6 months prior to the video recordings * severe mental retardation attested by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders IV * pharmaco-resistant epilepsy * behavioural disorders

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA)

correlation between the new classification of hand manipulation function and the AHA which measures the bi-manual performance, i.e. what the child usually does with the plegic hand

Time frame: the 2 assessment has to be registered within 6 months

Secondary Outcomes

Melbourne Assessment of Unilateral Upper Limb Function (Melbourne Assessment)

correlation between the new classification of hand manipulation function and the Melbourne Assessment which measures the bi-manual performance, i.e. what the child usually does with the plegic hand