Therapeutic Toys Developed to Help Kids with CP

July 3rd, 2008 Posted in News, Resources/Support

Karen Kerman, M.D., director of the pediatric rehabilitation center at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, wanted to find a way to incorporate physical therapy into the normal activity of children with cerebral palsy. Kerman noted that while there are currently toys that address the cognitive realm, nothing existed to address the unique needs of CP patients. Her goal was to create toys that would allow children with CP to obtain vital therapy in a fun way.

After receiving funding from the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, Karen approached her colleague, Joseph (Trey) Crisco, PhD, professor of orthopedics at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. The pair believed this was a perfect forum to bring creative minds together to create some prototypes for new therapeutic toys. Thus, Toys and Technology for Rehabilitation was formed. Kerman says the project “Has the power to harness the benefits of play, and may have many implications in the future.” They then approached Khipra Nichols, B.I.D., professor of industrial design at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) for additional support, and in the fall of 2006, the students in Crisco’s class were challenged to design therapeutic toys. At the end of the course they received a grant providing additional funding for the project from the Rhode Island Science and Advisory Technology Council (STAC). They wanted to develop toy controls for games that would require the use of the wrist and forearms for children with CP who generally lack the fine motor skills required for hand-held game controllers.

Crisco says, “There were a lot of design iterations, but in the end, there were about 15 prototypes and concepts that came out of the class.” The efforts were then focused on designing a hand-held control that could be used by the CP patients as both fun and therapeutic and would increase the use of the affected limb, helping to strengthen the muscles. The project has now reached its study phase, during which 20 children with CP between ages 5 and 12 will be enrolled. Each child in the study will be provided with a toy to be used at home as part of their normal play. Once a month, their progress will be charted, looking at markers for functional gain.

The toys were unveiled during an open house event on Monday, June 16 in which Children with and without CP were able to play alongside each other at the unveiling. Kerman and Crisco believe “This is a big step in physical therapy for CP patients and the information obtained for this study may even have future implications for other patients, including those who have suffered a stroke.” Kerman added, “Our goal is not only to provide rehabilitation, but to reshape the brain after injury to improve function. We believe we can do that.”

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