Parent-therapist partnership to ELEVATE gross motor function in children with perinatal stroke: protocol for a mixed...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric rehabilitation
• Neurorehabilitation
• Developmental neuroscience

Background:

• Growing evidence supports early, active rehabilitation for motor function after early brain injury.
• Passive treatments for lower extremity deficits in children persist.
• Perinatal stroke can lead to hemiparesis, impacting motor development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of early, intensive lower extremity rehabilitation for children with perinatal stroke.
• To assess a parent-therapist partnership model in pediatric rehabilitation.
• To explore the cost-effectiveness and parental perspectives of this intervention.

Main Methods:

• Waitlist-control, single-blind, mixed methods randomized controlled trial.
• Participants: Children aged 8 months to 3 years with perinatal stroke and hemiparesis.
• Intervention: ELEVATE program (1 hr/day, 4 days/week for 12 weeks) involving parents and therapists, focusing on standing and walking challenges.

Main Results:

• Primary outcome: Gross Motor Function Measure-66 (GMFM-66).
• Secondary outcomes: Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, Young Children's Participation and Environment Measure, spasticity.
• Qualitative data on parent experiences and cost-effectiveness analysis planned.

Conclusions:

• The ELEVATE intervention has the potential to significantly improve rehabilitation for young children with perinatal stroke.
• Parental involvement in a partnership model offers valuable insights into rehabilitation benefits and challenges.
• A mixed-methods design facilitates the integration of this collaborative approach into physical therapy practice.