The Home Program Evaluation Questionnaire - HoPE-Q - for Infants with Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy: Development and Psychometric Properties.

To develop and examine the psychometric properties of the Home Program Evaluation Questionnaire (HoPE-Q), a novel tool designed to assess the effectiveness of home treatment programs for infants with hemiplegia. The HoPE-Q includes a pre- and a postintervention version and items that relate to Child's Function, Parents' Competence, and their Expectations and Satisfaction from the program. The research was performed in three stages. The first stage consisted of item construction and content validity, followed by the analyses of the tool's reliability and construct validity. The final stage involved the examination of the tool's sensitivity to determine its suitability as an outcome measure of the effectiveness of home programs for infants with hemiplegia. Results showed moderate-to-high internal consistency (α = 0.65-0.85) and high test-retest reliability in Child's Function and Parents' Competence (r = 0.75, r = 0.76) respectively (p = 0.01). Evidence for Construct Validity, was demonstrated by significant group difference in the Child's Function (t(74)=-12.3, p ≤ 0.001) and Parents' Competence (t(68) = -3.7, p = 0.01), and high sensitivity to change after treatment was presented in Child's Function (F(32,1) = 49.38) and Parents Competence (F(32,1) = 26.72) (p ≤ 0.001). Preliminary data support the validity and reliability of the HoPE-Q as well as its suitability as an outcome measure, thereby providing a means of examining the effectiveness of home intervention programs for infants with hemiplegia.

Effectiveness of Modified Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy Compared With Bimanual Therapy Home Programs for Infants With Hemiplegia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the effectiveness of modified constraint-induced movement therapy (mCIMT) in treating infants with hemiplegic cerebral palsy and compared therapy outcomes with a nonconstraining bimanual therapy (BIM) of equal intensity. METHOD: In a single-blinded randomized controlled trial, 33 infants with hemiplegia (mean corrected age = 11.1 mo, standard deviation = 2.2) received either mCIMT (n = 17) or BIM (n = 16). Both interventions included home programs encouraging the use of the affected hand during daily 1-hr play sessions for 8 wk. Outcome measures were administered pre- and posttreatment and included the Mini-Assisting Hand Assessment for babies and the Functional Inventory. At baseline, parents also filled out the Dimensions of Mastery Questionnaire. RESULTS: Both groups demonstrated a significantly large and equal improvement in hand and gross motor function posttreatment (p < .001) and high treatment compliance. CONCLUSION: mCIMT and BIM are equally effective methods for treating infants with hemiplegia.