Abstract
Aim: To verify the effects of a telerehabilitation program for infants at high risk for Cerebral Palsy (CP) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Method: Longitudinal study. Infants were aged 3–18 months corrected age, at risk of developmental delay. The General Movement Assessment or a neurologic examination were performed to identify the risk of CP. Motor function was assessed using the Gross Motor Function Measure-88 (GMFM-88) and the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS). Caregivers of infants at high risk of CP applied a home-based program supervised by a Physical therapist, five times a week over 12 weeks. The program included guidance for optimal positioning, optimization of goal-directed activities, environmental enrichment, and educational strategies.
Results: 100 infants at risk for delayed motor development were recruited. Eighteen infants were classified at high risk of CP, and 10 families completed telerehabilitation (83% final retention rate). No adverse events were reported. Adherence to the telecare program was high (90%). The costs were low. We found increased scores for all dimensions and the total score of the GMFM-88, and the AIMS percentile at the end of the intervention. Most infants presented a clinically significant change for the GMFM-88.
Conclusions: The telecare program was feasible.
Acknowledgements
We thank Beatriz Rodrigues Mateus, Bianca Sabino, Karina Franco Mattos, and Ângela Damiani, for their contribution to data collection.
Disclosure statement
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.