Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Physical Therapy - Department of Growth and Developmental Disorders Pediatrics

Objective: To determine the effect of vestibular stimulation from selected head positions on hand functions in children with hemiparesis. Design: Sixty hemiparetic cerebral palsied children of both sexes, ranged in age from 4 to 6 years participated in this study. They randomly assigned into three groups of equal number; control group (A), study group (B) and study group (C). The three groups received the same conventional physical therapy program. Children in group A received especially designed occupational therapy program from sitting. Children in group B and group C received the same occupational therapy program given to group A while the head was in 45 and 60 degrees from prone position respectively. Fine motor skills, including visual motor integration, grasp and fine motor quotient evaluated using Peabody Developmental Motor Scale (PDMS-2) while pinch strength measured using Jamar hydraulic pinch gauge before and after treatment. Results: This study showed a statistically significant improvement in the three groups when comparing their pre and post treatment mean values of all measured variables. When comparing the post-treatment results, there was non-significant difference between group A and group C while there were significant differences between groups A and B, and groups B and C in favor of group B regarding all measured variables. Conclusion: Vestibular stimulation from selected head positions is effective for hemiparetic children to improve their hand functions

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