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

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.

This study aimed to determine the impact of mental imagery training on the upper limb functions and motor skills in children with cerebral palsy.

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.   

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<0.05).

It can be concluded that mental imagery is considered as an effective strategy to improve motor skills in children with cerebral palsy.