The Effect of Physical Therapy for Children With Motor Delay and Cerebral Palsy

Physical therapists recommend neurodevelopmental therapy for cerebral palsy, but its effectiveness has not been fully established. A randomized controlled trial was undertaken to compare the effects over 6 months, of weekly (intensive) and monthly (basic) neurodevelopmental therapy on the motor development of young children with suspected cerebral palsy. Subjects were no older than 18 months when referred for physical therapy because of a motor delay. All those meeting specified criteria were assessed on seven motor development tests: reflex activity, postural reactions, gross motor ability, fine motor skills, mental functioning, dominance of abnormal movement patterns and ability to participate in activities of daily living. The average proportional change in aggregate motor development for the 17 infants on the weekly (intensive) regimen was substantially better than that for the 12 on the monthly (basic) regimen, after adjusting for the child's age, whether the child was born at term or not, and mother's education. A statistical test led to an equivalent of a Student's t = 3.49, which with 24 df was associated with P = 0.0019 (two-sided).