Cognitive Sensory Motor Training Therapy for Children With Cerebral Palsy

Effects of Cognitive Sensory Motor Training Therapy on Dexterity and Upper Limb Function in Children With Cerebral Palsy

The current study will be randomized controlled trial, data will be collected from Central Park Teaching Hospital. The study will include 32 participants equally divided into two groups and randomly allocated. Inclusion criteria for this study will be consist of diagnosis with cerebral palsy, age 6-12, ability to participate in cognitive sensory motor training therapy, stable medical condition, and informed consent from parents/guardians. Participants with severe cognitive impairments, unstable medical condition, history of spinal cord injury or deformity, diagnosis with other neurological conditions, and visual or hearing impairments will be excluded from the study.. The Experimental group will receive Cognitive Sensory Motor Training Therapy and Routine Physical Therapy, while the Control group will receive Routine Physical Therapy.Cognitive Sensory Motor Training Therapy (CSMT) for 35 minutes, five times a week, over 12 weeks. Data collection will be done before and after the interventions.Outcome measures will include the dexterity, and upper limb function.Tools used for data collection will be Action Research Arm Test and Box and Block Test. Data analysis will utilize SPSS version 25.00.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Cerebral Palsy
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Cognitive Sensory Motor Training Therapy; Other: conventional occupational therapy

Detailed Description

Cerebral palsy defined as a neuro-impairment with motor disability caused by a non- progressive defect or lesion of the immature brain. Cerebral palsy (CP) impact approximately

1 in 500 children worldwide, affecting motor function, muscle tone, and coordination.

Children with CP will experience limitations in daily activities, social participation, and quality of life due to impaired upper limb function. To address this, rehabilitation strategies will focus on enhancing dexterity, and upper limb function. The aims of the study is to examine the effects of cognitive sensory motor training therapy on dexterity and upper limb function in children with CP. The current study will be randomized controlled trial, data will be collected from Central Park Teaching Hospital. The study will include 32 participants equally divided into two groups and randomly allocated. Inclusion criteria for this study will be consist of diagnosis with cerebral palsy, age 6-12, ability to participate in cognitive sensory motor training therapy, stable medical condition, and informed consent from parents/guardians. Participants with severe cognitive impairments, unstable medical condition, history of spinal cord injury or deformity, diagnosis with other neurological conditions, and visual or hearing impairments will be excluded from the study.. The Experimental group will receive Cognitive Sensory Motor Training Therapy and Routine Physical Therapy, while the Control group will receive Routine Physical Therapy.Cognitive Sensory Motor Training Therapy (CSMT) for 35 minutes, five times a week, over 12 weeks. Data collection will be done before and after the interventions.Outcome measures will include the dexterity, and upper limb function.Tools used for data collection will be Action Research Arm Test and Box and Block Test. Data analysis will utilize SPSS version 25.00.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 32
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: IMRAN AMJAD, PhD; Phone Number: 9233224390125; Email: imran.amjad@riphah.edu.pk
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Muhammad Asif Javed, MS-PT; Phone Number: 923224209422; Email: a.javed@riphah.edu.pk

Study Locations

• Pakistan
  • Punjab Province
    • Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan, 54000
      • Recruiting
      • Muhammad Asif Jvaed
      • Contact: Muhammad Asif Javed, MS-PT; Phone Number: 923224209422; Email: a.javed@riphah.edu.pk

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children aged 6-12 years with cerebral palsy
• Diagnosis confirmed by pediatric neurologist or rehabilitation specialist
• Ability to follow simple instructions and participate in therapy sessions.
• Participants had to be able to focus attention on demonstrate level II and III on the Gross
• Motor Function Classification Scale (GMFCS)
• Level II or III on the Manual Ability Classification System (MACS)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Visual impairment or hearing defect
• Severe cognitive decline and aphasia
• Contractures that could limit the patient from maintaining the extended arm in a comfortable position,

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Group A; participated in Cognitive Sensory Motor Training Therapy (CSMT) for 35 minutes, five times a week, over 12 weeks. Cognitive exercise therapy combines spatial and tactile tasks to improve cognitive function, focusing on perception and sensory awareness. Participants completed 5 tasks, customized to their recovery progress	Other: Cognitive Sensory Motor Training Therapy; Cognitive Sensory Motor Training Therapy (CSMT) for 35 minutes, five times a week, over 12 weeks. Cognitive exercise therapy combines spatial and tactile tasks to improve cognitive function, focusing on perception and sensory awareness. Participants completed 5 tasks, customized to their recovery progress.
Active Comparator: Group B; participants received conventional occupational therapy, consisting of many purposeful kinetic activities such as skateboard-supported arm-sliding exercises on a tabletop, picking up a ball and putting it into a basket, bi-manual placing cone, shoulder curved arch, double curved arch, arm bicycling, donut on base, putty kneading, block stacking, peg board exercise, graded pinch exercise and plastic cone stacking. Therapists could offer passive, active-assistive or active training, as deemed appropriate to the patient's ability	Other: conventional occupational therapy; Participants received conventional occupational therapy, consisting of many purposeful kinetic activities such as skateboard-supported arm-sliding exercises on a tabletop, picking up a ball and putting it into a basket, bi-manual placing cone, shoulder curved arch, double curved arch, arm bicycling, donut on base, putty kneading, block stacking, peg board exercise, graded pinch exercise and plastic cone stacking. Therapists could offer passive, active-assistive or active training, as deemed appropriate to the patient's ability

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Action Research Arm Test:	The ARAT is a standardized measure of the upper extremity (arm and hand) function based on four movements : grasping, grip-ping, pinching and gross movements of shoulder,elbow and fingers. ARAT has an ordinal 4-point scale (0-3) for 19 items. Scoring is determined as follows: 0, patient cannot perform any part of task;1, patient is able to lift the object completely from the platform; 2, function is performed fully but clumsily or with great difficulty; and 3, the movement is performed normally. The maximum score for each arm is 57 points.	The test can be completed in an average of 10 minutes but requires specific materials
Box and Block Test:	The box and block test 13 will be used to evaluate gross manual dexterity. The setup consists of two adjacent boxes of the same size (53.7 × 25.4 × 8.5cm), one of them filled with 150 blocks (2.5 cm 3).Between the two boxes, there is a partition 15.2 cm in height. The patient must move blocks one by one from one box to the other, over the partition.	The number moved in 60 seconds is the recorded score.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Riphah International University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Sadia Javed, MS-PT, Riphah International University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Choi W. Effects of Cognitive Exercise Therapy on Upper Extremity Sensorimotor Function and Activities of Daily Living in Patients with Chronic Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Healthcare (Basel). 2022 Feb 24;10(3):429. doi: 10.3390/healthcare10030429.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 28, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 2, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 16, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 18, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 18, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): November 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 18, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Cognition; Cerebral palsy; Dexterity; Functional activity
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Brain Damage, Chronic; Cerebral Palsy
• Other Study ID Numbers: REC/RCR&AHS/SADIAJAVED

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

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