Home / Participate in Research IHDD / SIT-PT Early Intervention for Young Children with Cerebral Palsy

Image: SIT-PT Project logo. Sitting Together & Reaching to Play Study.The purpose of the NIH funded SIT-PT study is trying to compare two different forms of physical therapy for children who have or are at high risk of Cerebral Palsy. To evaluate these two interventions, the participants are randomly assigned (like flipping a coin), with half the children participating in each intervention. Both interventions are designed to help improve the child’s motor skills, but one intervention focuses on motor skills while the other intervention focuses on both thinking and motor skills.

Both programs include two physical therapy sessions per week provided at your home or our office, based on the distance. The intervention lasts for three months (24 therapy visits), and all study visits are provided to you free of charge. You can continue with all of your current services as well.

In addition to the intervention, all infants complete 5 play-based assessment sessions over a one-year period. All of the study assessments can be conducted at your home or, if you prefer, in our research lab, by a trained assessor.

Your child may be eligible to participate if he/she meets these criteria:

  • Your child is between 8-24 months of age (adjusted for prematurity, if applicable)
  • Your child has a motor delay or has a medical history that indicates a high risk of cerebral palsy.
  • Your child can NOT get in and out of sitting by him/her self.

For more details or to contact the research team, please contact Lin-Ya Hsu at linyahsu@uw.edu, download our PDF or visit: https://start-play.unl.edu/research-program/#current-studies

Photo: Young girl with her eyes closed wearing over the ears headphones.