RecruitingNAINTERVENTIONAL

Metrological Properties of a Digital Motion Analysis Research Application for Assessing the Motor Abilities and Performance of Children With Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a condition affecting movement in children. Currently, understanding how a child with cerebral palsy moves often involves special tests in clinics. This study is testing a new, easy-to-use app for smartphones and tablets that could help assess children's movement abilities more often and even outside of a hospital setting. The goal is to get a clearer picture of how children with cerebral palsy move in their daily lives, including activities like running, jumping, and balancing. This detailed information can help doctors make more personalised care plans, aiming to improve how children move and their overall quality of life. The study will look at how well this new app measures movement compared to current methods.

At a glance

Status

Recruiting

Phase

Sponsor

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Dijon

Enrolment target

Start

18 Mar 2026

Estimated completion

16 Nov 2028

Cerebral Palsy

What is this study about?

Cerebral palsy is a common condition that affects how children move. It can make everyday activities, from fine finger movements to walking and running, more challenging. Understanding exactly how each child's movements are affected is really important for doctors and therapists to provide the best possible support and care. This helps children live their lives to the fullest.

At the moment, to understand movement, doctors often perform physical exams or use special scoring systems. There are also advanced systems that closely track movement, but these are often expensive, take a lot of time, and can only be used in special clinic rooms. This means it's hard to see how children move every day at home or at school, which can be very different from how they move in a clinic.

This study is looking at a new, exciting way to measure movement using a smartphone or tablet app. Imagine being able to understand a child's movements, like running, jumping, and balancing, more easily and more often, not just in a clinic. The aim is to develop an app specially designed for children with cerebral palsy. By making it easier to track movement, this app could give doctors much richer and more personalised information. This could lead to better decisions about treatment and therapy, helping children improve their movement and quality of life.

Key takeaways

New app aims to improve understanding of movement in children with cerebral palsy.
Study tests how well the app measures everyday movements like running and jumping.
Goal is to help doctors create more personalised care plans.
No new medications are given; the study focuses on assessment.
Includes children with cerebral palsy and healthy children for comparison.

Who may be eligible?

This study is looking for children aged 6 to 18 years old. There are two main groups: children who have been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and a 'control' group of children who are generally healthy and don't have any medical conditions, to compare against.

For children with cerebral palsy, we're looking for those whose condition affects one side of their body or both sides, and who can move around independently, perhaps with some difficulty. It's important that they don't have severe learning difficulties or major vision problems that would stop them from doing the movement tasks. Also, they shouldn't have had surgery in the last six months or other medical treatments affecting movement in the last three months.

We also want to speak to parents of children with cerebral palsy and healthcare professionals who work with these children. Everyone involved in the study must be able to understand and speak French, and be covered by a health insurance system. Children who are under legal protection or who are pregnant or breastfeeding cannot take part.

Could this study suit you?

Answer these quick questions to see if you may be eligible. This is a guide only — the research team makes the final call.

Is your child between 6 and 18 years old?
Does your child have cerebral palsy (or are they generally healthy)?
Can your child understand and speak French?
Has your child not had major surgery in the last 6 months or other functional treatments in the last 3 months?
Does your child not have severe learning or vision problems that would stop them from doing movement tasks?

Answer every question to see your result.

What does participation involve?

If you decide to take part, you or your child would be involved in different assessments. These include checks of physical abilities, answering questionnaires about daily life and how you feel, and for parents, completing questionnaires about your child. Some parents and healthcare professionals will also be asked to do a semi-structured interview.

The main focus is on assessing movement. This would involve using the new smartphone or tablet app to capture specific movements like running, jumping, and balancing. We don't know the exact number of visits or the total duration from this summary, but there would likely be at least two visits if specific medical or surgical interventions are being looked at between 'visit 1 and visit 2'. There are no new medications involved, as this study is about assessing movement, not giving treatment.

Potential risks and benefits

Taking part in this study could offer several benefits. It may help develop a new, easier way to assess movement in children with cerebral palsy, leading to more personalised care in the future. Your child will receive detailed assessments of their motor abilities. The main risks are likely to be minor, such as tiredness from the activities or the time commitment involved. You or your child can stop participating at any time, for any reason, without it affecting your medical care.

Locations (1)

Chu Dijon Bourgogne
Verified postcode
Dijon, France· Recruiting

Common questions

What is cerebral palsy?

Cerebral palsy is a condition that affects movement and muscle stiffness, caused by brain damage that happens before, during, or shortly after birth.

What is the new app supposed to do?

The app aims to make it easier and more accurate to measure how children with cerebral palsy move, especially in everyday settings outside of a clinic.

Will my child receive any treatment in this study?

No, this study is about assessing movement using a new app, not providing medical treatment or medication.

How long will my child need to be involved?

The summary doesn't specify the exact duration, but there will be at least two assessment visits involved.

Who can take part in this study?

Children aged 6-18 with cerebral palsy, or healthy children of the same age, can participate. Parents and healthcare professionals are also invited for some parts of the study.

How to find out more

Paul ORNETTI

paul.ornetti@chu-dijon.fr 03.80.29.38.72 Official trial record

Always speak to your GP or specialist before deciding to take part in a study.