Aim: The objective of this review is to determine age-related differences in behavioral outcomes of bimanual motor tasks in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP).
Method: This review followed the 6-stage Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. The Embase, EBSCO CINAHL, and PubMed databases were searched on May 2024. We included studies that employed instrumented measures to assess bimanual tasks in individuals with CP aged between 3 and 19 years.
Results: Twenty-eight studies were included after full-text screening. This review reported on 544 individuals with CP. Bimanual tasks were grouped in seven categories and their varying complexities were listed and analyzed. There are numerous methods for assessing bimanual performance. The listed methods have shown that the gap between children with CP and healthy peers widens as task complexity increases. The data suggest that age-related outcomes result from a complex interaction between atypical development, the severity of deficits, and the context-dependent nature of the protocols.
Conclusion: The lack of standardized reporting on age-related results limits our understanding of bimanual developmental functions in CP. Standardizing these measures will enhance our understanding of bimanual function and better define the principles guiding therapeutic interventions, ultimately improving outcomes for individuals with CP.
Keywords: Bimanual coordination; bimanual development; instrumented measures; rehabilitation; task complexity.
In studies with children and adolescents with cerebral palsy, seven categories of instrumented bimanual tasks were identified.Rehabilitation professionals should prioritize precise, adaptable tools to track subtle patient progress.Providing children and adolescents with cerebral palsy with tasks of different complexities could assist them in accomplishing activities of daily living.Rehabilitation interventions should be tailored to each patient’s developmental level and clinical profile.