Qigong Massage for Motor Skills in Young Children with Cerebral Palsy and Down Syndrome
| Author(s) | Louisa M. T. Silva, Mark Schalock, Jodi Garberg, & Cynthia Lammers Smith |
| Date | May 1, 2012 |
| Published in | American Journal of Occupational Therapy, Vol. 66 |
| Citation | Silva, M., Schalock., Garberg, J., & Lammers Smith, C. (2012). Qigong massage for motor skills in young children with cerebral palsy and Down Syndrome. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 66. Retrieved from http://ajot.aota.org/Article.aspx?articleid=1851578 |
Abstract
In this article, we present a small randomized controlled study evaluating the effect of a dual parent- and trainer-delivered qigong massage methodology on motor skills and sensory responses in 28 children under age 4 with developmental delay and motor tone abnormalities. Fourteen children had high motor tone as a result of cerebral palsy (CP), and 14 children had low motor tone as a result of Down syndrome. Multivariate analysis and post hoc analysis of variance showed large effect-size improvements in Peabody Gross Motor Scale (PGMS) Object Manipulation scores (p < .01) and large effect-size improvements in overall PGMS scores (p < .04) in treatment versus control groups after 5 mo intervention. Follow-up evaluation 10 mo from the start indicated continued improvement. Sensory responses showed no treatment effect. The results suggest further investigation of qigong massage as a promising avenue for research to improve motor skills in young children with CP and Down syndrome.