REACH is continuing recruitment in QLD, NSW, VIC and WA with 47 families already taking part in the study.
Ethics applications are currently being submitted to sites in Minnesota, Ohio and Riverside County in the US to expand this research to become an International study. Families are recruited between 3 to 9 months corrected age and continue in the study until they complete the follow-up assessments at 24 months corrected age. Thirty-one of the study children have already completed their 12 months assessments, with 11 of these have also completing the assessments at 24 months C.A. The study is comparing if modified Constraint Induced Movement Therapy (mCIMT) is more effective than Bimanual Therapy (BIM) in improving the symmetrical development of reach and grasp and bimanual co-ordination for infants who have an asymmetric brain lesion. The specially trained REACH therapists provide one home-visit and one Skype virtual visit each month with each family to support their child’s daily therapy administered by the child’s parents.
One of our study children, Agnes, is now 10 months corrected age and has been receiving mCIMT from 6 months-of-age. Our REACH therapist, Danni, who is completing the therapy with Agnes and her parents said “she has made great progress in her ability to grasp objects of different shapes and sizes and is learning to purposefully release objects from her involved upper limb. Agnes is highly motivated and shows lots of persistence, which has definitely contributed to her improvements. She is a joy to work with and most of all we have fun.”
Contact details
For more information, please contact Dr Tracey Evans, REACH Clinical Research Coordinator,
Ph: (07) 3069 7365 or E: QCPRRC@uq.edu.au or W: REACH webpage
