Feasibility and Reliability of the Melbourne Assessment-2 (MA-2) for Telehealth

The goals of this study:

1. Determine if a play based test of arm and hand movements is valid and reliable when conducted through telehealth for children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy.
2. Measure differences in parent, provider and child engagement when an assessment is conducted in-person compared to via telehealth.
3. Rate caregivers' overall impressions of procedures when an assessment is conducted in-person compared to telehealth.

Participants will attend two visits, one in person and one through telehealth. During each visit, the child will play with common toys. The sessions will be video recorded and scored using two standardized assessments, the Melbourne Assessment-2 (MA-2) and the Assisting Hand Assessment.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Cerebral Palsy; Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Assessment only, no intervention

Detailed Description

After a child has a stroke, noticeable and lifelong developmental concerns emerge. One side of the body is typically much weaker, often impacting the arm/hand more than the leg/foot, so we focus on the arm/hand. The weakness is like adults with stroke, but in children, stroke impairs play, reaching for/holding toys, communication gestures, and whole-body movement. Because of this, most children with pediatric stroke will receive physical and/or occupational therapy throughout childhood. Traditionally, rehabilitation occurs with the child, caregiver and therapist meeting in person at clinics, homes, or schools. However, telehealth rehabilitation, where the therapist and patient meet virtually through a computer or tablet, has emerged a sustainable and accessible alternative. Telehealth also has the potential to improve access to quality treatments, improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. One problem with telehealth rehabilitation is that few assessments have been validated for use in telehealth. In adults with stroke, researchers have identified several assessments for that work well via telehealth. Similarly, in children with one specific brain disease, researchers found that the results of one commonly used gross motor test are similar when delivered via telehealth compared to in-person. Unfortunately, there is no studied arm/hand assessment for children with stroke. This makes it hard to measure if telehealth rehabilitation changes arm/hand function. This proposal will test two playful arm/hand assessments via telehealth. Investigators will test 35 children (2-10 years old) twice (once in-person and once via telehealth) with the same assessment and compare the results. Investigators will use two well-established assessments, the Melbourne Assessment-2 and the Assisting Hand Assessment. Both assessments will be recorded- via camera (in-person) and secure videoconferencing (telehealth). Those recordings will then be scored by a therapist trained in the Melbourne Assessment and Assisting Hand Assessment. Investigators will compare the results of both assessments to see if the scores match.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 35

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Ohio
    • Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43210
      • The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Children, ages 2-10 years old with hemiplegic Cerebral palsy

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• ages 2-10 years old
• hemiplegic cerebral palsy
• able to attend an in-person visit in the research lab OR live within 60 miles of the research lab
• able to attend a telehealth session with personal device

Exclusion Criteria:

• child or caregiver does not speak English
• unable to attend one in person visit and one telehealth visit within 1 month

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
In-person vs. telehealth assessment; Participants will be randomly assigned to in-person visit first or telehealth visit first. Both groups will complete both visits. Each visit requires about 20 minutes.	Other: Assessment only, no intervention; Participants in this study complete two visits to test the agreement of telehealth and in person assessments of arm and hand movement.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Melbourne Assessment-2	Upper Extremity assessment, range 0-100, higher score indicates better outcomes.	1 month
Assisting Hand Assessment	Upper extremity assessment, range 0-100, higher score indicates better outcomes.	1 month

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Acceptability Intervention Measure	Evaluate acceptability of telehealth assessment, 4 questions rated on 5-point Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Reported as proportion of items rated at or above 4/5	immediately after telehealth visit
Intervention Appropriateness Measure	Evaluate appropriateness of telehealth assessment, 4 questions rated on 5-point Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Reported as proportion of items rated at or above 4/5	immediately after telehealth visit
Feasibility of Intervention Measure	Evaluate feasibility of telehealth assessment, 4 questions rated on 5-point Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Reported as proportion of items rated at or above 4/5	immediately after telehealth visit

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ohio State University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jill Heathcock, PhD, Ohio State University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 18, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 24, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 24, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 4, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): February 5, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 27, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 24, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Assessment; Telehealth
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Brain Damage, Chronic; Cerebral Palsy
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2023B0100

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No