Does auditory cueing affect gait parameters in Cerebral Palsy children
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Does increasing auditory cueing affect gait parameters in children with Cerebral Palsy during a functional task?
IRAS ID
167078
Contact name
Joanne Tunnah
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS foundation Trust & The UCL Institute of Child Health
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 0 days
Research summary
Through simple observation of human behaviour it is recognised that rhythmic music even something as simple as toe tapping to a favourite song, influences human behaviour to synchronise movement. The use of sensory cues to facilitate loco-motor activity has been suggested as a potential intervention in altering gait parameters by providing the necessary trigger to switch from one movement component to the next. Thus it is rational to ask whether auditory cues could also help individuals with neurological gait impairments.
Gait deficits is one of the disabling features of Cerebral Palsy, encompassing decreased velocity, shortened stride length and reduced cadence. This increases the child's risk of falls, loss of independence and decreases access to the educational curriculum and social isolation. Attainment of functional walking is a common rehabilitation objective with neurodevelopmental treatments being the preferred method of choice. However, these techniques do not necessarily carry over in reality as they focus on positioning and posture rather than function . Therefore there is a need to explore new strategies to address this predicament and optimise CP gait performance that carry over in real life.
Auditory cueing has been viewed as cost effective, no adverse side effects, non invasive and portable. Therefore it has a potential place in clinical practise as part of a conductive education approach to gain more effective outcomes.
Population - Ambulant CP children attending mainstream school (aged 5 to 11) having level 1 or 2 on the Gross Motor Function Classification Scale (GMFCS).
Intervention - RAS set at 20% above the child's baseline cadence with the child doing 3 walking trials whilst carrying a glass of water.
Comparison - RAS set at the child's baseline cadence with the child doing 3 walking trials whilst carrying a glass of water.
Outcome - Gait parameters will be assessed including step cadence, step length and velocity using the GAITRite walkway system.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/YH/0077
Date of REC Opinion
13 Feb 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion