Cerebral Palsy Clinical Trials

The first specific aim is to quantify improvement in ankle muscle function and functional mobility following targeted ankle resistance gait training in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy (CP). The primary hypothesis for the first aim is that targeted ankle resistance training will produce larger improvements in lower-extremity motor control, gait mechanics, and clinical measures of mobility assessed four- and twelve-weeks post intervention compared to standard physical therapy and standard gait training. The second specific aim is to determine the efficacy of adaptive ankle assistance to improve capacity and performance during sustained, high-intensity, and challenging tasks in ambulatory children with CP. The primary hypothesis for the second aim is that adaptive ankle assistance will result in significantly greater capacity and performance during the six-minute-walk-test and graded treadmill and stair stepping protocols compared to walking with ankle foot orthoses and walking with just shoes. Read Less

The goal of this prospective cohort study is to learn about the impact of an adapted dance program in youth with cerebral palsy. The main questions it aims to answer are: Are there clinically significant benefits for children with cerebral palsy who participate in an Adaptive Dance Program? Is it feasible to implement an adaptive dance program using action-observation principles for children diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (CP)? Participants will complete a pre-dance program assessment, participate in a 10-week dance program (20 hours), and complete a post-dance program assessment. Read Less

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the acceptability and efficacy of Go Move, a mobile website developed to assist youth with unilateral cerebral palsy and their caregivers with setting goals and selecting exercises and activities to meet the goals. The main question[s] it aims to answer are: Is Go Move accepted by youth with unilateral cerebral palsy and their caregivers? Does Go Move support goal attainment for youth with unilateral cerebral palsy? Participants will set up and participate in a goal-driven home program using the Go Move mobile website. Participants will spend 1 hour and 15 minutes per week for 6 weeks working on their home program and will complete pre-intervention and post-intervention assessments. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and begin to evaluate the effect of an intensive in-home standing and walking intervention for infants with or at high risk of cerebral palsy. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and begin to evaluate the effect of a sensorimotor intervention (SMI) provided in the first 6 months of life for infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Read Less

The study objective is to improve accuracy in the early detection of neurodevelopmental impairment, especially CP, by evaluating the timepoint (in weeks post term age) that the Prechtl GMA is most useful for prediction of neurodevelopmental impairment at two years of age in children with and without medical complexity. The study team plans to recruit 100 healthy, term-born infants and 250 infants at risk of developing CP for a total of 350 enrolled infants. Read Less

This research aims to evaluate walking function in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The researchers want to understand how children with CP adapt and learn new ways of moving. They have previously found that measuring how a person controls their muscles is important for assessing walking ability and response to interventions. In these studies, they will adjust the treadmill belt speeds and/or provide real-time feedback to evaluate how a child can alter their movement. The feedback will include a wearable exoskeleton that provides resistance to the ankle and audio and visual cues based on sensors that record muscle activity. This research will investigate three goals: first, to measure how children with CP adapt their walking; second, to see if repeated training can improve adaptation rates; and third, to determine if individual differences in adaptation relate to improvements in walking function after training. This research will help develop better treatments to enhance walking capacity and performance for children with CP. Read Less

This feasibility study looks to evaluate ankle exoskeleton assistance in community settings for individuals with cerebral palsy. Read Less

The study purpose is to document the typical trajectory of perioperative pain experience in Cerebral Palsy (CP) and to identify important predictive factors for the development of chronic postsurgical pain. The main aims of the investigators are to: Quantify the trajectory of pain and opioid use in the context of orthopedic surgery in children with CP. Identify predictors for CPSP in children with CP and develop an applicable risk index. Examine relationships between perioperative pain severity and functional/mobility outcomes achieved by orthopedic surgery in children with CP. Participants will complete: Questionnaires/Surveys via email and text message In-person Sensory Tests In-person Gait and Motion Analysis Read Less

The objective of this project is to characterize the evolution of locomotor learning over the first 18 months of life in infants at high risk for cerebral palsy (CP). To characterize how locomotor skill is learned (or not learned) during this critical period, the investigators will combine established protocols using robust, unbiased robotic and sensor technology to longitudinally study infant movement across three consecutive stages during the development of impaired human motor control - early spontaneous movement, prone locomotion (crawling), and upright locomotion (walking). Read Less

The purpose of this study is to test the efficacy of a motor learning-based postural and reaching control intervention delivered with the robotic Trunk-Support-Trainer (TruST) compared to the same motor learning-based intervention delivered with Static Trunk Support Equipment in children with cerebral palsy (CP) classified as III and IV with the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). Read Less

Upper extremity therapies for children with cerebral palsy (CP) have been validated for improving function in higher functioning patients. Those who function at the lowest end of the scale, on the Manual Ability Classification System scale (MACS) III-V, comprise 34-54% of the population, but as yet have no evidence-based interventions specific to their needs. Lower functioning children often retain some voluntary control of the elbow in spite of limited finger motion. A dynamic splint, or exoskeleton, could utilize the tenodesis effect from elbow motion to drive finger release while retaining flexor tone for grasp, potentially creating a portable, home-based therapeutic tool. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of an upper extremity orthotic device in improving the upper extremity function of children with cerebral palsy who have limited use of their hands. Read Less