Therapy Together
Therapy Together Manuals
The Therapy Together manuals were developed for caregivers of children participating in the Therapy Together program. Clinicians can use the manuals as a resource to coach caregivers on how to implement constraint induced movement therapy at home for young children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. The first manual focuses on movement skills of the upper limb (motor) and the second manual combines movement skills of the upper limb with cognitive development (motor and cognition). The manuals were developed as part of a research study conducted at Scottish Rite for Children in collaboration with Texas Woman’s University.
Seeking Research Participants
Research Study Title: The Feasibility and Effectiveness of Therapy Together: An Intensive Upper Limb Therapy Program for Young Children with Cerebral Palsy and Their Caregivers
Principal Investigators: Angela Shierk, OTR, PhD and Heather Roberts, OT, PhD
Supported by Scottish Rite for Children Clinical Research and Texas Woman’s University Department of Occupational Therapy
Address:
Scottish Rite for Children
2222 Welborn Street
Dallas, TX 75219
Key Information about the Research Study: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of Therapy Together. Therapy Together is a group based intensive upper limb intervention for children ages 3 months to 4 years 11 months that present with unilateral cerebral palsy or are at risk for developing unilateral cerebral palsy. The child and their caregiver attend a 1-hour or a 4-hour weekly session in person and engage in therapeutic activities at home focused on arm/hand skills for 30 minutes to 1 hour each day for 8 weeks. You will select if you want to participate in the weekly 4 hour onsite sessions with 30 minutes of in-home daily activities OR the 1 hour onsite weekly sessions with 1 hour of daily in-home activities. You will be asked to complete an in-person assessment before and after the 8 weeks of therapy intervention. The first 7 weeks of the program focus on constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT) where the preferred hand is restrained with a soft glove to promote use of the assisting hand. Week 8 focuses on the use of two hands together.
Eligibility: Child age 3 months to 4 years with a diagnosis of unilateral cerebral palsy or at risk for developing unilateral cerebral palsy. Infants and children must be able to visually attend to objects, demonstrate an interest in objects and attempt to reach for or grasp them with the impaired upper extremity.
Benefits: Participants and their caregivers will attend weekly group therapy sessions at no cost focused on parent coaching to implement therapeutic activities in the home to improve cognitive and motor skills.
Time Commitment: Participants and their parents are required to complete 2 on-site evaluations (one before and one after the intervention) lasting 1-2 hours. Participants and their caregivers are required to attend 8 weekly group sessions, (1-hour or 4-hour) and can select if they would like to participate in optional online sessions between the weekly onsite sessions. Caregivers are required to implement the therapeutic activities at home 30-60 minutes per day.
If you would like more information about this study, please contact Angela Shierk at ashierk@twu.edu (806) 470-0006 or Heather Roberts at hroberts3@twu.edu.
Page last updated 9:28 AM, July 14, 2021