Use of Surface Electromyography Biofeedback to Improve Reaching in Children With Cerebral Palsy

Children ages newborn to 21 with a diagnosis of arm weakness, hypertonia, or hyperkinesia due to cerebral palsy will be recruited. A muscle that is either over-active or under-active will be selected for each child. The child will be provided with the device to wear for 1 month in order to call attention to the identified muscle. At the beginning and end of the month, reaching will be assessed using three-dimensional kinematic motion capture. The outcome measure will be the speed and curvature of reaching to a target in front of the child.