A new test of stereognosis

Details

Supervisors

Bleyenheuft, Yannick ; De Clerck, Célia

Faculty

Faculté des sciences de la motricité

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences de la motricité, orientation générale, à finalité spécialisée: kinésithérapie en neurologie adulte

Abstract

Background: Stereognosis is the ability to identify objects solely by touch. It is currently tested using the Manual Form Perception Test (MFPT). The objective of this test is to correctly identify 10 objects without sight, with one point awarded per object found. However, this test has many limitations. The Modified Cooper Test (MCT) may be a better option. This test is based on the MFPT with two modifications added, 6 objects and an index (number of objects found/time taken to find each object). The two main objectives of this study are: 1) To compare the ceiling effect of the two scores in typically developing children (TD) and in children with unilateral and bilateral cerebral palsy (UCP and BCP). 2) To assess the responsiveness to change in CP’s results before/after an intervention. Method: The TD’s population consisted of 212 children and the CP population of 69 children. TD children were tested once for both tests, while CP children were tested before and after intervention. Results: The ceiling effect initially described in TD children for the MFPT was also found in the MCT raw score results. Another ceiling effect around 10- 11was found for indexes results of tests in TD children. The CP children's results showed a reactivity to change only for the less affected hand. Conclusion: Given the results obtained, the use of the MCT is recommended for the assessment of stereognosis in children with CP.