Upper Limb Somatosensory Discrimination Therapy and Dose-matched Motor Therapy in Children and Adolescents With Unilateral Cerebral Palsy

"Participants will receive three 45 minute sessions of upper limb somatosensory discrimination therapy per week for a period of 8 weeks.~Each session includes 30 minutes of component-based training, including graded practice of three components of somatosensation (i.e., tactile object recognition, texture discrimination and proprioception). Next, 15 minutes of occupation-based practice will be completed to enhance transfer to a functional context. This includes repetitive and structured practice of self-chosen activities of daily living, while attention is designated to the somatosensory aspects necessary for successful task completion (e.g., identification of button based on touch)."

Participants in the control group will receive an equal amount of motor training, including 30 minutes of unimanual motor tasks and 15 minutes of bimanual goal directed training. The unimanual motor tasks will be selected based on the main difficulties of the child (e.g., grip strength, supination). Bimanual goal directed training includes whole task practice of self-chosen activities of daily living. All therapy sessions will be performed under supervision of a trained physical and/or occupational therapist. Therapy adherence and progression will be closely monitored by the therapist.