Experience of Engagement in a Somatosensory Discrimination Intervention for Children with Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy: A Qualitative Investigation

Background: To successfully modify an intervention from an adult population for use with children with cerebral palsy, it is important to understand the components that support a child’s motivation and engagement. Method: Ten children who had participated in the Sense© intervention (mean age = 11 ye...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: McLean, B., Girdler, Sonya, Taylor, S., Valentine, J., Carey, L., Elliott, Catherine
Format: Journal Article
Published: Informa Healthcare 2018
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/71214
Description
Summary:Background: To successfully modify an intervention from an adult population for use with children with cerebral palsy, it is important to understand the components that support a child’s motivation and engagement. Method: Ten children who had participated in the Sense© intervention (mean age = 11 years 2 m [SD = 2 years]; four males; Manual Ability Classification System level I = 1, II = 9) and their primary caregivers (N = 11, 10 females) were interviewed. Transcripts were analyzed using framework analysis. Results: Key themes were identified in the core domains of the Synthesis of Child, Occupational Performance and Environment in Time model. Child: children’s somatosensory discrimination ability improved; Motivation: incorporating child’s goals was essential, as were real-world gains; Environmental: parents were interested in having more involvement in the intervention. Conclusion: The most engaging elements of the intervention for children were the attainment of their self-selected goals. Opportunities to modify the intervention for improved partnership with parents were identified.