Effect of Ergonomic Classroom Furniture on the Printing Legibility of Elementary Students With Cerebral Palsy

Effect of Ergonomic Classroom Furniture on the Printing Legibility of Elementary Students With Cerebral Palsy

The purpose of this pilot study is to gather the data needed to do a larger research study to determine whether children with cerebral palsy print better sitting at an ergonomically-designed, custom-fitted school desk or at an oversized, standard school desk.

This pilot study will allow us to gather information for a high-quality randomized controlled trial to study the efficacy of ergonomic school furniture as a remedial handwriting intervention for young students with cerebral palsy. We will conduct the study in two parts. In the first part, 30 children with Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) Level I and II cerebral palsy will each provide manuscript handwriting samples using two different school furniture configurations. A blinded assessor will score the legibility of handwriting samples using the Minnesota Handwriting Assessment (MHA) as a primary outcome measure. In the second part, seven occupational therapy experts will attend a focus group to help us determine the minimal clinically important difference score for the MHA. We will use the data collected to determine the sample size requirements for a proposed randomized controlled trial.

ergonomic school chair and desk adjusted to fit the child user as per the manufacturer's instructions

child sits on chair and desk for 5 minutes, then provides handwriting sample at one desk, then repeats this for the other desk

Inclusion Criteria: primary diagnosis of cerebral palsy functional status of Gross Motor Function Classification System Level I or II Exclusion Criteria: genetic disorder; attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; or, pervasive developmental disorder