Effects of Leap Motion Controller on Improving Hand Function in Children with Bilateral Spastic Cerebral Palsy

Background and purpose: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a term used to classify children with non-progressive lesions in the developing brain. Bilateral spastic is the most common type of cerebral palsy. Reduced ability to manipulate objects is one of limiting factors in daily activities of these children and its improvements is one of the most important therapeutic goals. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of leap motion controller (LMC) on strength and hand skill in children with bilateral spastic CP. Materials and methods: With a single-group interventional design, the effects of LMC on the skill and strength of the upper extremities were investigated in 10 children with cerebral palsy. The study consisted of three phases; I: four-week common occupational therapy sessions (45 min), II: 12-week intervention using LMC for 20 minutes, and III: follow up which was similar to phase I. Hand skills and strength were evaluated using visual analysis of graphs. Kendall's coefficient was applied and non-overlapping indicators were used to study hand skills. Results: Significant improvements were seen in manual strength and function of all children except two (P<0.05). Visual analysis of the graphs showed positive changes in type of strength gain in most of the children. Conclusion: LMC can be used as a useful method in rehabilitation of upper extremity along with other treatments.