Authors (including presenting author) :
Yuen TS(1), Yu WS(1), Chan KF(1), Koo LP(1), Lao LM(1), Mak MY(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Department of Physiotherapy, Tuen Mun Hospital
Introduction :
Children with developmental problem experience difficulties in acquiring typical childhood motor skills, which impacts their daily living. Hence, under the influence of COVID-19, a hybrid mode of on-site and Tele-care based exercise model was newly launched to improve their coordination, balance and manual dexterity.
Objectives :
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the new exercise model in improving motor performance of children aged between 4 and 12 years old with developmental problem.
Methodology :
Children diagnosed with gross motor problem or coordination problem aged between 4 and 12 years old, and without neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy or muscle diseases, were recruited for this study from September to November 2020. The 10-week exercise program includes (1) three on-site physiotherapy sessions emphasizing on physical assessment and prescription of individualized home exercises, (2) three ZOOM sessions to monitor progress, review and reinforce home exercises, (3) four telephone follow up to monitor progress and evaluate home exercise compliance. In the first and last session, these children were assessed by the same physiotherapist using Movement Assessment Battery for Children Edition -2 (MABC-2). Eye-hand coordination, balance and manual dexterity performance were represented by the Aim & Catch Domain (AD), the Balance Domain (BD) and the Manual Dexterity Domain (MD) of MABC-2 respectively. Upon completion, a questionnaire evaluating parental satisfaction of this model was obtained.
Result & Outcome :
Seven children with mean age of 7.6 ± 1.7 years were recruited to join the new service model exercise program in 2020. 71% of the subjects demonstrated improvement in individual standard score in the three domains and the total standard score after completion of the program. It suggested that the new exercise model was likely to bring a positive impact on children’s motor performance in the mentioned aspects. The improvement, however, did not reach statistical significance in the current study likely due to the small sample size. To further evaluate the effectiveness of the service model, it was recommended to conduct the analysis with more subject number.
All caregivers and participants expressed satisfaction towards the new hybrid model. 85% of them indicated their willingness to continue to join the model in the future because they did not prefer to follow up in the hospital during the pandemic. They also appreciated the flexibility of the new model. Yet, some caregivers preferred on-site exercise class because of the direct guidance by physiotherapists, joyful and lively atmosphere, readiness of equipment and spacious physiotherapy gym. The new hybrid exercise model may be an alternative for children with developmental problem in the future.
