Most activities of everyday life require the use of both hands in a coordinated manner. Motor disorders related to cerebral palsy lead to activity limitations due to motor function disturbances. It has already been shown that intensive bimanual intervention can improve arm movement, but its impact on the spontaneous use of the most affected arm in everyday life remains to be established. This project aims to understand the impacts of intensive bimanual therapy on the motor functions of both arms (working together or in isolation) as well as on the spontaneous use of the most affected limb. Predictive value of neuroimaging variables will also be assessed. Thirty children living with cerebral palsy will be recruited over a 5-year period. The intervention consists of a day camp, where a small group of participants will be stimulated (one worker per child) to do activities using both hands 6 hours/day for 10 days. There will be three periods of evaluation (pre-intervention, post-intervention and 6-month follow-up). These evaluation periods consist of neuroimaging assessment, clinical evaluation, robotic evaluation and movement evaluation using inertial control units. The use of more accurate measurements of sensorimotor arm functions using robotic systems will clarify the relationship between measurements of brain function and clinical improvements, to better understand the significant variability observed in response to interventions.
Motor disorders related to cerebral palsy are often accompanied by sensory, cognitive, perceptive, communication and behavioural impairments. It has already been shown that intensive bimanual intervention can improve arm movement, but its impact on the spontaneous use of the most affected arm in everyday life remains to be established. This project aims to understand the impacts of an intensive bimanual therapy on uni- and bi-manual motor functions as well as the spontaneous use of the most affected arm. Predictive value of neuroimaging variables will also be assessed.