Pediatric Upper-Limb Rehabilitation With PhiCube, a Modular Bilateral End-Effector Device

The present investigation is configured as a multicenter clinical study in a within-group pilot phase.

This study aims to investigate primarily the feasibility of use and effectiveness of a treatment for upper limb function in children aged 4 to 18 years with congenital and acquired neuromotor disorders through a new portable robotic system, called PhiCube, designed for bilateral neuromotor rehabilitation of the upper limbs in subjects with neuromotor disorders.

In order to specifically investigate also the potential impact of PhiCube on movement planning aspects, the study will also involve a small group of children aged 4 to 18 years with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD).

Before (PreT0 and T0) and after (T1 and T2) treatment, standardized assessment tests will be administered. Regarding the investigation objectives reported above, the primary outcome measure will be the Melbourne Assessment-2 (MA2), a standardized, valid and reliable instrument for evaluating the quality of upper limb movement in children with neurological deficits, capable of measuring four elements of movement quality: range of motion, accuracy, dexterity and fluency. As secondary outcome measures, Abilhand-Kids has been chosen, a brief questionnaire that measures 21 main daily bimanual activities completed by the parent or caregiver, and various subtests and questionnaires aimed at evaluating the neuropsychological processes involved and the effects related to auditory feedback perception.

The treatment will have a total duration of approximately 3 months and will be organized in 3 weekly sessions lasting 45 minutes each, to reach a total of 30.

Descriptive statistics of the clinical and technological variables obtained in the evaluation and rehabilitation phases will be calculated. Subsequently, treatment efficacy analyses through the robotic device are planned, comparing pre-post clinical variables. All collected data will finally be analyzed in order to compare the rehabilitative efficacy of the device with respect to the different groups of participants identified based on diagnostic profile.