Effectiveness of a Sensory Integration-Based Program for Developing Motor Skills in Improving the Functional Efficiency of the Upper Extremity in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

The deterioration of the functional efficiency of the upper extremity is a common issue among children with cerebral palsy, adversely affecting their overall ability to perform daily activities efficiently. The current study aimed to verify the effectiveness of a sensory integration-based program in developing motor skills to improve upper extremity functional efficiency in children with cerebral palsy. To achieve this goal, a single-group experimental design was employed, with the study conducted on a sample of (7) children with cerebral palsy, aged between (4) and (6) years, The study tools included the Sensory Integration Measure, developed by (Doaa Khattab, Islam Abdel Rahman, and Salma Mohamed); the Motor Skills Measure, also developed by (Doaa Khattab, Islam Abdel Rahman, and Salma Mohamed); and Functional Efficiency of the Upper Extremity Measure, developed by (Doaa Khattab, Islam Abdel Rahman, and Salma Mohamed), The results of the srudy indicated statistically significant differences at a significance level of (0.01) between the average ranks of the pre-test and post-test scores of the experimental group of children with cerebral palsy in the Functional Efficiency of the Upper Extremity Measure, in favor of the post-test. There were no statistically significant differences between the average ranks of the post-test and follow-up scores of the experimental group of children with cerebral palsy, after one month of completing the program. The study recommends the necessity of including sensory-motor integration programs as part of therapeutic programs to improve the motor and functional efficiency in children with cerebral palsy.