Parent-reported engagement in a home-based, parent-delivered early intervention for infants with unilateral cerebral palsy.
Kimberley S Scott, Leanne Sakzewski, Jenny Ziviani et al.
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In 30 seconds
This secondary analysis of the REACH randomized comparison trial examined parent-reported engagement during home-based, parent-delivered early intervention for 90 infants with or at risk for unilateral cerebral palsy. Infants received either infant-friendly constraint-induced movement therapy (Baby-CIMT) or bimanual therapy (Baby-BIM), with engagement assessed at the start, midpoint, and end of intervention. Engagement scores were near the maximum at the start and showed no significant change in distribution over time or difference between treatment groups. Some parents reported increasing difficulty fitting intervention into family life; measured infant-, parent-, and therapist-related variables did not predict score changes.
Key findings
- Parent-reported engagement was near the maximum possible score at intervention start, with no significant difference in score distribution over time.
- Engagement did not differ between Baby-CIMT and Baby-BIM.
- Some parents scored items about fitting intervention into family life lower over time.
- No measured infant-, parent-, or therapist-related variables significantly predicted changes in engagement scores.
Why it matters
High reported engagement suggests that parent-delivered, home-based interventions with supportive coaching can be acceptable to families of infants with or at risk for unilateral cerebral palsy. However, the reported difficulty integrating activities into family life highlights feasibility as a potential challenge over time, even when overall engagement scores remain high.
What to keep in mind
Engagement was self-reported, and this secondary analysis found no significant predictors of score changes; the abstract does not report whether the measure captures actual intervention delivery.