Sticky Mittens Training to Improve Reaching Skills and Manual Exploration of Full-Term and At-Risk Infants: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Aim

To systematically review evidence of the effectiveness of sticky mittens training to improve reaching skills and manual exploration of full-term and at-risk infants and optimal training dosage.

Methods

The Cochrane Collaboration and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guided this systematic review. The electronic search was performed from September 2017 to August 2021 on PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Cochrane databases. Eligibility criteria followed PICO terms: clinical trials investigating the effects of sticky mittens training on reaching skills and manual exploration of full-term and at-risk infants. PEDro scale and GRADE assessed methodological quality and quality of evidence, respectively.

Results

Eight studies (313 children) were included. Five studies found statistically significant differences between experimental and control groups (62.6%). One study presented high methodological quality. Evidence synthesis showed very low and low evidence of the beneficial effects of sticky mittens training in full-term and at-risk infants, respectively.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that sticky mittens training facilitates reaching skills and manual exploration. However, results should interpretation with caution because studies targeted full-term infants. Future research should focus on infants at risk or with motor impairments since sticky mittens training seems to show positive effects and is easy to apply.

Keywords:

• Child development
• grasping
• infants
• motor development
• motor skills
• reaching
• sticky mittens training
• systematic review

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Probatus Academic Services for providing scientific language revision and editing.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ana Luiza Righetto Greco

Ana Luiza Righetto Greco, Department of Physiotherapy, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil.

Natalia Tiemi da Silva Sato

Natalia Tiemi da Silva Sato, Department of Physiotherapy, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil.

Roberta de Fátima Carreira Moreira

Roberta de Fátima Carreira Moreira, Department of Physiotherapy, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil.

Jorge Lopes Cavalcante Neto

Jorge Lopes Cavalcante Neto, Department of Human Sciences, State University of Bahia, Jacobina, Bahia, Brazil.

Eloisa Tudella

Eloisa Tudella, Department of Physiotherapy, Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil.