Can behavioral interventions increase physical activity in youth with cerebral palsy? A scoping review

The primary goal of adaptive physical and special education is to increase the participation of individuals with special motor needs in educational and social activities. Current behavior modification and motivation techniques are based on descriptive explanations of physical activity behaviors and exercises provided by special educators to patients and parents; however, the efficacy of such techniques is largely unknown. The main purpose of this review was to determine how effective different special education techniques and behavior change interventions are for different domains of physical activity for patients with cerebral palsy spastic motor type. A scoping review of scientific/medical databases was conducted to identify relevant studies matched the pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Four studies were selected (n=173) implementing behavioral interventions across internet-based and in-person settings. Three of these studies were randomized controlled trials with pre-post differences in physical activity observed in youth with cerebral palsy following behavioral intervention, although improvements were not statistically different from controls. This scoping review collectively demonstrates that design and implementation of behavioral change interventions lead to improvements of specific motor skills and highlights the need for ongoing research in children and adults with special motor needs.