Impact of Mental Imagery Training on the Upper Limb Functions and Motor Skills in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Background: Children with cerebral palsy due to limitations in movement are dependent on others in terms of mobility and self-care. These limitations affect their participation in daily life and its quality. Objective: This study aimed to determine the impact of mental imagery training on the upper limb functions and motor skills in children with cerebral palsy. Method: Twenty children with cerebral palsy were selected from Tavana Rehabilitation Center in Tabriz city using a convenience sampling method and were randomly divided into two groups: mental imagery and control. The subjects of the mental imagery group were trained by mental imagery and subjects of the control group did not receive any training. Lincoln-Oseretsky development scale was used for collecting data from the subjects.    Results: The results of the covariance test indicated that mental imagery teaching can cause the improvement of upper limb functions and motor skills in children with cerebral palsy (p<۰.۰۵). Conclusion: It can be concluded that mental imagery is considered as an effective strategy to improve motor skills in children with cerebral palsy.

Keywords:

Cerebral Palsy , Mental Imagery , Fine and Gross Motor Skills.