Early Rehabilitation for Children with Cerebral Palsy Comparing Intensive and Extensive Treatment Approaches

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to investigate the effectiveness of play-based rehabilitation as usual care for children with cerebral palsy, a condition that affects movement and posture development and often involves other challenges like epilepsy and cognitive impairments. The study will also compare two rehabilitation formats intensive care provided in hospital inpatient units and extensive care delivered in community rehabilitation centers, to see if the timing of treatment affects outcomes. Children will receive either an extensive rehabilitation program consisting of 3-hour weekly sessions for 15 weeks in outpatient settings or an intensive program with 3-hour daily sessions, 5 days a week for 3 weeks in hospital care units. Both treatments include the same total dose of therapy and focus on goals involving gross motor skills, manipulative abilities, visual, and visual-cognitive functions. Participants will be assessed at the start, immediately after treatment, and at an 8-month follow-up using measures such as the Functional Independence Measure for children WeeFIM, the Gross Motor Function Measure 88 GMFM-88, and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function for preschool children. The study involves regular monitoring to evaluate the rehabilitation impact over time and to adjust care plans as needed, with total participation lasting through the follow-up period.

Cp eArly REhabilitation