Therapies

• The development of early and effective intensitve interventions is one of the challenges in the care of children with cerebral palsy. HABIT-ILE (Hand and Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy Including Lower Extremity) is a new type of intensive rehabilitation involving constant stimulation of the upper and lower limbs. This method has been shown to improve upper and lower extremity motor function in children over 6 years of age with unilateral and bilateral cerebral palsy.
• The main objective of the CAP’ project is to evaluate in 100 preschool children (1-4 years) the effect of two weeks of HABIT-ILE therapy
  • on bimanual performance (Assisting Hand Assessement AHA and mini AHA) in 50 children with unilateral cerebral palsy (randomized controlled trial 1) and
  • on gross motor function (Gross Motor Function Measurement) of 50 children with bilateral cerebral palsy (randomized control trial 2) compared to two weeks of usual motor activity (control group).

• Children with unilateral or bilateral cerebral palsy, aged 1 to 4 years old, who are able to follow instructions and complete tests which are age-appropriate, will be included in the study.

• This project started in early 2019 with internship in children with unilateral CP in Brussels and Brest. A first internship concerning children with bilateral CP also took place in Brussels in March 2020. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, some courses had to be cancelled and will take place as soon as possible. THis project will continue until 2022. You can find more information on the Fondation Paralysie Cérébrale website.

Partners : CHRU de Brest (coordinator), Fondation Paralysie Cérébrale, Université Catholique de Louvain, Université de Pise, Hôpital universitaire de Genève (Suisse), Hôpital universitaire de Lausanne (Suisse), CHRU d’Angers, Université des Iles Baléares (Espagne)

Cognitive disorders are frequent in neurological pathologies of the child, and require long-term reeducational care. The child’s motivation is important to take into account, and it can decrease during the treatment dur to repetitive exercises. Fun is important to keep them interested, and board games, because of their playfulness, are a very great tool.
This project was created in order to work on cognitive functions in a playful way. In partnership with the pediatric structures (SSR) of Saint-Maurice hospitals, Kerpape and Ty Yann, 30 game sheets have been created to propose a list of fun games, used in the different rehabilitation centers. These sheets describe the cognitive functions used while playing these different games, and are meant to be used by rehabilitation professionals and families.

Project coordinated by Gwenael Gueret (CHRU de Brest)

Partenaires : Centre mutualiste de Kerpape, Hôpitaux de Saint-Maurice

• No pain no gain is a study aiming to assess how children perceive their physical treatment. This study shows that many children regularly experience pain during their physical therapy sessions and can attribute this to the effeveness of the therapy. Distraction and trust between the child and the therapist appear to be key elements in reducing this sensation of pain. the child’s participation and enjoyment of the sessioins should the focus of the rehabilitation sessions in order to limit negative feelings and encourage the child’s engagement. To learn more

Partners : CHRU de Brest , Fondation Ildys, Centre de Kerpape, Université Bretagne Occidentale, Fondation de France, Fondation Paralysie Cérébrale, Fondation APICIL

• Dis-Handi project was developed with the aim of bringing professionals who work with children with motor disabilities and to question the pain and discomfort induced by daily gestures (hygiene, feeding, mobilization, re-education, nursing care, etc.) carried out in pediatric rehabilitation and education centers.
• The study was conducted in 16 pediatric rehabilitation and education centers throughout Brittany with 280 children with motor disabilities.
• By using science-based methodologies to study of pain over a week of care, this study makes it possible to answer the following questions: What physical acts performed on a daily basis induce pain or discomfort? How often? What are the profiles of children at risk of care-induced pain?

A similar study was conducted with a population of adults with motor disabilities.