ABSTRACT
Background: Play therapy has become an important part of physiotherapy treatment program to improve functional outcome in children with cerebral palsy. This study is to examine the effectiveness of play therapy together with conventional therapy to improve the hand function ability in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. Methods: 30 spastic diplegic cerebral palsy children were divided into two groups, Group-I received conventional physiotherapy alone where as Group-II received play therapy and conventional therapy (n=15) both. The treatment was given 3 days a week for 6 weeks continuously for both the groups. Results: After the treatment period Group II who received play therapy in addition to conventional therapy scored significantly higher on the Box and block test and Nine hole peg test for grasp and release showing p<0.05. Conclusion: Play therapy along with conventional physiotherapy was found to be much effective in improving the hand function in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. This study may help the physiotherapist to utilize and evaluate the functional outcomes using play therapy in cerebral palsy children.