Article

The aim of the study was to describe the development of hand function,
particularly the use of the affected hand in bimanual tasks, among children with
unilateral cerebral palsy aged 18 months to 12 years.
METHOD: A convenience
sample of 96 children (53 males, 43 females) was assessed with the Assisting Hand
Assessment (AHA) at regular intervals from the ages of 18 months to 12 years. The
children ranged from 17 to 127 months (median age 24mo) at recruitment. Subgroups
were created to identify differences in development using the child's AHA at 18
months and the Manual Ability Classification System (MACS). A nonlinear mixed
effects model was used to analyze data according to a 'stable limit' development
model. RESULTS: The results were based on 702 AHA sessions. The children showed a
rapid development at a young age and reached 90% of their stable limit between 30
months and 8 years. The subgroups, based on the 18-month AHA and the MACS levels
respectively, had distinctly different patterns of development. INTERPRETATION:
The AHA at 18 months may be used to make a crude prediction of future
development.
CI - (c) 2016 Mac Keith Press.

Langue : ANGLAIS