Rehabilitation Specific Gaming in CP

Forty children are recruited via the Cerebral Palsy Reference Centre (University Hospital Leuven, Pellenberg). Children are recruited when they have been diagnosed with bilateral spastic CP, Gross Motor Function Classification (GMFCS) level III-IV, aged between 6 and 15y and standardly receive physiotherapy at an intensity of minimally 2 times per week, 45 minutes per session.

Children are randomized into the intervention group (conventional, usual therapy including the use of rehabilitation-specific gaming) or the control group (PT, usual physiotherapy not including gaming), followed by a cross-over. After the intervention period of 3 months, wash-out period will be organized to evaluate follow-up effects.

During the intervention period, the usual individual physiotherapy program of the child will be continued as performed before the study and will be executed by the child's usual, familiar physiotherapist. The therapist will be asked to use the rehabilitation-specific gaming software every therapy session, for at least 15 to 20 minutes. The therapist will receive an extensive introduction and demonstration of the software and the researchers will participate in at least one therapy session.

During the control period, the usual, conventional physiotherapy of the child will be continued and the therapist will be asked not to use any gaming activities. Also during the control period, the frequency and duration of the therapy sessions will not be influenced by the researchers.

A wash-out period in between both programs, assumes that therapy effects are still present for a certain period after the intervention and therefore aims to wash-out these effects. Therefore, this period is considered after each intervention period. As during the control period, therapy will be continued as usual during the washout-period but no gaming is allowed during therapy.

All intervention and control periods will have the same duration of 3 months. During all periods, therapists will receive a diary to register the exact amount of therapy performed. The diary that will be provided during the intervention, will also question the specific games played and will register the therapy goals strived for.

Children will be evaluated before and after each intervention or control period using a multidimensional assessment protocol. In addition, children will also receive a follow-up evaluation 3 months after the last intervention period. This will result in 4 evaluation moments for each child. The evaluation exist of the Goal Attainment Scale, the Gross Motor Function Measure, the Pediatric Balance Scale, the Trunk Control Measurement Scale and the Dimensions of Mastery Motivation Questionnaire (DMQ).