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START-Play (Sitting Together and Reaching to Play) is an early intervention that targets sitting, reaching and motor-based problem-solving to promote development and readiness to learn in infants with motor delays or challenges.
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START-Play: Evaluation of the Efficacy of a Physical Therapy Intervention Targeting Sitting and Reaching for Young Children With Cerebral Palsy
Subcontract
Research Team
Principal Investigator: Natalie Koziol
Funding Information
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health—National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Subcontract from: University of Southern California
Award Date: May 1, 2020
End Date: Apr 30, 2025
Abstract
* This project is funded by a subcontract from the University of Southern California.
This project compares the effectiveness of two physical therapy interventions for young children with or at high risk of having cerebral palsy.
Infants and toddlers between 8 and 24 months old will be randomly assigned to either START-Play (Sitting Together and Reaching to Play) — which targets sitting, reaching and motor-based problem-solving in infancy to promote development and readiness to learn in infants with motor delays or challenges — or MORE-PT (Movement, Orientation, Repetition and Exercise Physical Therapy), which focuses on moving, building, strength and increasing flexibility in infancy to improve motor skills and limit impairments.
Researchers will assess children's sitting, gross motor skills, cognitive and problem-solving skills, and parent-child interaction. After a baseline assessment, additional assessments will occur at three, six, nine and 12 months after the baseline. Medical, study fidelity and parent-reported data will also be collected.
The study is designed to clarify how the two different interventions compare in improving young children's motor and cognitive skills, and which intervention approach is best to promote children’s early development and readiness to learn.
Research & Evaluation Methods, Psychosocial Development & Social-Emotional Learning
START-Play (Sitting Together and Reaching to Play) is an early intervention that targets sitting, reaching and motor-based problem-solving to promote development and readiness to learn in infants with motor delays or challenges.