Changes in Electroencephalography Activity in Response to Power Mobility Training: A Pilot Project

The purposes of this pilot project were to examine the impact of power mobility training on (1) electroencephalography (EEG) activity in children with severe cerebral palsy (CP) and (2) power mobility skill acquisition. A single-subject A-B-A-B research design with a 5-week duration for each phase (20 wk total) was replicated across three participants with severe CP (Gross Motor Function Classification System Level V). Data related to the target behaviour, as represented by EEG activity, were collected each week. Power mobility skills were assessed using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), the Wheelchair Skills Checklist (WSC), and the Assessment of Learning Powered mobility use (ALP). Weekly power mobility training was provided during the intervention phases. EEG data were analyzed by means of three measurement metrics (power spectral density, mutual information, and transfer entropy). All three participants demonstrated changes in activation in frontoparietal EEG recordings and clinically significant improvements in power mobility skill acquisition as measured by the COPM as well as by the ALP and WSC. Power mobility training appeared to affect both neuroplastic and skill acquisition. Combining the use of EEG with direct therapist-observation measurement tools may provide a more complete understanding of the impact of power mobility training on children with severe CP.