CareToy: Stimulation and Assessment of Preterm Infant’s Activity Using a Novel Sensorized System

Abstract

Early intervention programs aim at improving cognitive and motor outcomes of preterm infants. Intensive custom-tailored training activities are usually accompanied by assessment procedures, which have shortcomings, such as subjectivity, complex setups, and need for structured environments. A novel sensorized system, called CareToy, was designed to provide stimulation in the form of goal-directed activity training scenarios and motor pattern assessment of main developmental milestones, such as rolling activity, grasping, and postural stability. A group of 28 differently skilled preterm infants were enrolled. Acquired measurement data were analysed with dedicated sensor data processing algorithms, along with clinical evaluation of motor ability. High correlation among technically determined parameters and Alberta Infant Motor Scale values was determined by Pearson correlation coefficients. Due to good accuracy and possibility of single motor skill subfield analysis, results confirm system suitability for motor ability assessment. Statistical analysis of inter-motor ability group and inter-training goal data comparisons demonstrate system's appropriateness for goal-directed activity stimulation. The proposed system has evident potential of being an important contribution to the field of infant motor development assessment, expanding accessibility of early intervention programs and affecting rehabilitation effectiveness of preterm infants.

A randomized clinical trial in preterm infants on the effects of a home-based early intervention with the 'CareToy System'

“…A previous pilot study confirmed both feasibility of the CareToy System as a tool in promoting EI in infants and validity of study design [16–17]. This Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT) study was aimed at testing short-term effects of CareToy training on motor and visual development in 3–9 month old preterm infants.…”

Concurrent Validity and Reliability of an Inertial Measurement Unit for the Assessment of Craniocervical Range of Motion in Subjects with Cerebral Palsy

“…It has been suggested that subjects with motor disorders could benefit from IMUs for the following three purposes: (1) Objective quantification of motor disorders; (2) Proprioceptive enhancement through visual-motor feedback; (3) Functional compensation via an inertial person-machine interface [29]. From a clinical assessment point of view for CP, IMUs have been successfully applied for the stimulation and analysis of activity using interactive games [67], for the assessment of lower limb spasticity [58], during gait [30], and for the assessment of specific characteristics in the cervical spine in small samples [11,68]. Following the increasing interest and evidence of the benefits of IMU application in pathological populations, in terms of guiding clinical decision making (e.g., quantify deficits and determine progress in time) [69], the current study adds the assessment of cervical ROM to the field of research of IMU in CP.…”

MINI-REVIEW: Contribution of early intervention models to child motor development

“…Some studies have made this family-centered approach clear in the title or program name 5,10,11 and others brought some principles of this approach to the methodology, when it was noticeable that the family was an important point of the intervention that was evaluated 14,16,17,20,22 . Few studies did not mention the family as a participant of the intervention 12,13,18 .…”