Therapy onset and characteristics associated with improvement following HABIT-ILE in infants with unilateral cerebral palsy: secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial
5 affiliations
- 1Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), UCLouvain
- 2Exercise and Rehabilitation Science Institute, School of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Science, Universidad Andres Bello
- 3Neurology Department, Stroke Unit/Motor Learning Lab, CHU UCL Namur
- 4Louvain Bionics, UCLouvain
- 5Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc
Abstract
Aim: To explore the association between therapy onset and changes in motor and functional outcomes and identify characteristics associated with greater changes in infants with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP) following Hand-Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy-Including Lower Extremities (HABIT-ILE).
Method: This study included 38 infants aged 6 to 20 months (mean = 14.4 ± 4.3 months) with UCP. All received 50 h of HABIT-ILE and were assessed pre-intervention and 3 months later. Outcomes included Mini-Assisting Hand Assessment (Mini-AHA; primary), Gross Motor Function Measure-66 (GMFM-66) and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). Regression analyses explored changes in outcomes in relation to age at therapy onset, prematurity, type and side of lesion, and baseline motor abilities.
Results: Age at therapy onset was not significantly associated with changes in Mini-AHA or COPM satisfaction scores. However, younger age was associated with larger changes in the GMFM-66 and the COPM performance scores. Regarding baseline characteristics associated with greater improvement, the baseline GMFM-66 score was associated with changes in GMFM-66.
Interpretation: These exploratory analyses found that younger age at therapy initiation was associated with larger changes in GMFM-66 and COPM performance scores, suggesting that early therapy onset may be associated with greater improvements in gross motor and functional performance. Baseline gross motor abilities were also associated with changes following HABIT-ILE, suggesting that these characteristics may contribute to variability in observed changes and warrant further investigation in larger studies.
Clinical trial registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ , identifier NCT04698395.
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BibTeX
@article{tournai2026therapy,
title = {{Therapy onset and characteristics associated with improvement following HABIT-ILE in infants with unilateral cerebral palsy: secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial}},
author = {Astrid Carton de Tournai and Enimie Herman and Daniela Ebner-Karestinos and Estelle Gathy and Rodrigo Araneda and Anne Renders and Célia De Clerck and Seyma Kilcioglu and Yves Vandermeeren and Yannick Bleyenheuft},
journal = {Frontiers in Neurology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fneur.2026.1882719},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2026.1882719/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Therapy onset and characteristics associated with improvement following HABIT-ILE in infants with unilateral cerebral palsy: secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial
AU - Astrid Carton de Tournai
AU - Enimie Herman
AU - Daniela Ebner-Karestinos
AU - Estelle Gathy
AU - Rodrigo Araneda
AU - Anne Renders
AU - Célia De Clerck
AU - Seyma Kilcioglu
AU - Yves Vandermeeren
AU - Yannick Bleyenheuft
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/27
JO - Frontiers in Neurology
DO - 10.3389/fneur.2026.1882719
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2026.1882719/full
AB - Aim: To explore the association between therapy onset and changes in motor and functional outcomes and identify characteristics associated with greater changes in infants with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP) following Hand-Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy-Including Lower Extremities (HABIT-ILE). Method: This study included 38 infants aged 6 to 20 months (mean = 14.4 ± 4.3 months) with UCP. All received 50 h of HABIT-ILE and were assessed pre-intervention and 3 months later. Outcomes included Mini-Assisting Hand Assessment (Mini-AHA; primary), Gross Motor Function Measure-66 (GMFM-66) and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). Regression analyses explored changes in outcomes in relation to age at therapy onset, prematurity, type and side of lesion, and baseline motor abilities. Results: Age at therapy onset was not significantly associated with changes in Mini-AHA or COPM satisfaction scores. However, younger age was associated with larger changes in the GMFM-66 and the COPM performance scores. Regarding baseline characteristics associated with greater improvement, the baseline GMFM-66 score was associated with changes in GMFM-66. Interpretation: These exploratory analyses found that younger age at therapy initiation was associated with larger changes in GMFM-66 and COPM performance scores, suggesting that early therapy onset may be associated with greater improvements in gross motor and functional performance. Baseline gross motor abilities were also associated with changes following HABIT-ILE, suggesting that these characteristics may contribute to variability in observed changes and warrant further investigation in larger studies. Clinical trial registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ , identifier NCT04698395.
SN - 1664-2295
ER -