Effects of Task Oriented Approach to Improve Hand Dexterity Skills among Cerebral Palsy Children

Abstract

Introduction: Cerebral palsy describes a clinical presentation rather than a special etiology or pathology. As such, CP encompasses a heterogeneous group of individuals, varying by functional motor severity, motor type and distribution, and co morbidities (vision, hearing, speech, intellectual function, hand function and epilepsy). The direct cause of CP often remains unidentified, but of known events there are marked difference in the type and timing of neurological lesion. Depending location and extent of the neurological lesions .children motor type may be described as spasticity, dyskinesia {athetosis and hypertonic}. Ataxia or hypotonic.

Cerebral Palsy (CP) refers to the non-progressive neuromotor disorder at cerebral origin (Paul et al., 2013 p 581). The term CP was first described by English physician William Little in 1843 (Solomon et al., 2000 p 115). The prevalence of CP worldwide is about 1-5 per 1000 live births, which represents major reason for motor disorder (Dias et al., 2016).It is mainly characterized by paralysis, spasticity, abnormal postural control, balance issues and atypical motor patterns that serve as a barrier to the ongoing motor skill development. The child has difficulty in integrating all the information needed to plan and implement skilled and efficient movements in the trunk and extremities of the body (Solomon et al., 2011 p 303). CP includes motor dysfunction arises from a brain lesion occurring in areas controlling the quality and quantity of skilled movements. Thus, the uncoordinated and inefficient way of shortening and lengthening of muscles fail to produce smooth and effective motion. It is often accompanied by sensory, cognitive, perceptual, social, emotional, behavioural, play, education and ADL difficulties

Objectives: To find out spastic cerebral palsy children with poor hand dexterity skills
To find out the effect of conventional occupational therapy in control group
To find out the effect of task oriented approach in improving hand dexterity skills in experimental group ;
To find out pre test and post test by using Box and blocks test.
To compare the effect of task oriented approach with conventional occupational therapy program.

Methods: The study was done among the children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) in the age group 6 to 13 years of age. Total of 30 children with spastic cerebral palsy were     selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. 15 children in control and 15 children in experimental group.

Results: The statistical analysis showed a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test. Thus, the null hypothesis is rejected.

Conclusions: From this study, it is concluded that there improvement in hand dexterity skills