Detection of Pediatric Upper Extremity Motor Activity and Deficits With Accelerometry

Abstract

This cohort study of pediatric patients uses accelerometry data from the upper extremities to evaluate whether movement can distinguish between children with typical development and those with motor deficits.

Toward a More Comprehensive Assessment of School Age Children with Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy

“…The ratio of unilateral movements between the upper limbs was notable, as typically developing children move both upper limbs equally, with a ratio of close to 1.0. 27,46 The histograms in Figure 2 highlight that all children had visibly reduced unilateral movements in their affected upper limb, corroborating the low scores observed on the MA2.…”

“…Additionally, the advancement of wearable technology has made it possible to use accelerometry to describe real-world activity in children with CP. 27 The purpose of this study was to confirm prior reports of deficits associated with hemiplegic CP and describe the use of an assessment battery that combines motor and behavioral evaluation. Our approach to describing CP in children combined neuroimaging, real-world activity measured with accelerometry, clinical assessment of movement and cognition as well as parent-report measures of attention, depression, and behavior.…”

A step toward the future of seamless measurement with wearable sensors in pediatric populations with neuromuscular diseases

“…Use of wearable sensors to capture upper limb performance in healthy children is also emerging . Data from a recent cohort of 176 typically developing children and adolescents (0–17 years old) wearing accelerometers on both wrists for up to four periods of 24 hours each can serve as a referent sample from which we can start to compare pediatric patient populations . Data from Hoyt et al indicate that overall upper limb activity performance, measured in hours or in counts, increases during the early childhood years, with peak levels typically around ages 6 to 8 years of age.…”

“…Data from a recent cohort of 176 typically developing children and adolescents (0–17 years old) wearing accelerometers on both wrists for up to four periods of 24 hours each can serve as a referent sample from which we can start to compare pediatric patient populations . Data from Hoyt et al indicate that overall upper limb activity performance, measured in hours or in counts, increases during the early childhood years, with peak levels typically around ages 6 to 8 years of age. As children move into middle school and beyond, daily activity decreases, with 16‐ to 18‐year‐old adolescents having upper limb activity levels similar to those of adults .…”

“…Sparse reporting of methods increases the challenge of knowing how recorded accelerometer signals were filtered, processed, and computed to obtain the variables in tables and figures for both reports. Even with conceptually similar variables of the magnitude of activity (eg, “intensity of LA” in bouts/min in table 1 of van der Geest et al vs mean activity counts in table S1 of Hoyt et al), one suspects but cannot confirm that the 16 boys with DMD were less active than their typically developing counterparts. It is also possible, but we are unable to discern, that upper limb activity in those who spend a significant proportion of time in a wheelchair might be higher or somehow inherently different from those who are primarily ambulatory.…”