EFFECT OF SENSORY INTEGRATION THERAPY ON GROSS MOTOR FUNCTION IN CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY

Objective The primary problem in children with cerebral palsy (CP), frequently referred for occupational therapy, is gross motor dysfunction. The current study was designed to investigate the effects of sensory integration therapy (SIT) on gross motor skills in CP patients. Materials & Methods Twenty-four children with diplegic spastic CP were randomly divided into two groups: First group (n=14,6 girls, 8 boys), age range 2 to 6 years, mean age 3.9 years; the second or control group (n=10, 5 girls, 5 boys), age range 2 to 6 years, mean age 3.4 years. SIT training was given to the first group and only the home program was given for the second group. All children were evaluated with gross motor function measurement (GMFM 88) for rolling, sitting, crawling, standing and walking position before and after intervention. Treatment duration for both groups was 1 hour, 5 days per week for a period of 12 weeks. Results Gross motor function in children of the case group improved significantly better that in the control group, after intervention in sitting (P=0.02), crawling (P=0.001) and standing (P=0.03) positions; however no significant difference was seen in rolling (P=0.65) and walking (P=0.69) ability assessment. Conclusion This study showed the beneficial effects of the SIT training program for children with CP; the SIT intervention had a significantly positive effect on gross motor function in the children with diplegic spastic CP. Moreover the results of the present study showed that sensory integration and vestibular stimulation were effective in children with cerebral palsy.