Article

The purpose of this research report is to investigate the long-term effect of
Adeli suit treatment (AST) in a child with cerebral palsy (CP) on
spatial-temporal gait parameters, 10-meter walking speed, gross motor functional
measure (GMFM) and performance on the pediatric balance scale (PBS). An
eight-year-old girl with spastic diplegia classified as level III on the Gross
Motor Function Classification System participated in this single-subject A-B
design study, with a baseline and an intervention phase. The baseline phase was
collected at one-week intervals for six weeks and then the AST intervention phase
was carried out with 18 AST sessions, 50 min per session, once a week for an
18-week period. Spatial-temporal gait parameters significantly improved after the
completion of 18 sessions. Furthermore, 10-meter walking speed, GMFM and PBS
changed significantly from the baseline measurement (p < 0.05). In conclusion,
the AST was effective in improving gait, gross motor function and balance in a
child with diplegic CP. Clinically, neuro-rehabilitation with AST provided a
complementary and alternative treatment for lower extremity rehabilitation in
this child with CP. These findings provide preliminary evidence supporting the
effectiveness of AST in children with spastic CP, and thus underscore the need
for additional research in this area.

Langue : ANGLAIS