Go Move: A Case Study on Goal-Directed Training & Home Programs for Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy

Children diagnosed with unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP) encounter obstacles in performing daily tasks due to asymmetrical impairments, resulting in compensatory strategies, learned nonuse, and developmental disregard. To enhance and sustain functional abilities, consistent engagement in meaningful motor-based activities is essential (Shierk et al., 2024). Unfortunately, many children with cerebral palsy lack access to requisite motor-based rehabilitation services, underscoring the importance of exploring goal-directed training and home programs as viable alternatives. Empirical evidence supports the efficacy of these approaches in enhancing function, parental contentment, and movement quality among youth with cerebral palsy (Novak et al., 2009). However, despite high quality research demonstrating their effectiveness, a disparity persists between evidence and the actual implementation of best practices. Addressing this gap, GO Move (Goal-oriented Movement Opportunities in a Visual Environment), a newly developed mobile website, offers guidance on goal setting, activity selection, and exercise tracking within home settings, specifically targeting motor function improvement in children with UCP. Accessible in diverse cultural and linguistic contexts, GO Move has the potential to augment rehabilitation quality, broaden access to care, and enhance clinical practice by furnishing evidence-based intervention to individuals with UCP and their care providers. The capstone student conducted a case study of the protocol to begin examining the feasibility and acceptability of the Go Move mobile website.