THE
‘MAGIC’ OF MOVEMENT - FEASIBILITY OF USING MAGIC IN
THERAPEUTIC
PROGRAMMES
D.
Green1, D. Owen2,
A. Moore3, R. McDougall4,
Y. Farquharson2
1
Tel Aviv University, Israel ; 2 GSTT
Charity, UK ;
3 Evelina
Children's Hospital,
Introduction. Many
therapeutic programmes for children need
significant
repetition, particularly motor learning programmes which
require
considerable practice to acquire a new ability. This may result
in reduced
compliance with therapy programmes. The practicalities of
providing intensive
intervention tend to be prohibitive and mechanisms
to engage a child’s
interest and motivation to pursue exercises need
to be explored.
Objectives. This paper will report on a project
designed to improve
the experience of participation in therapeutic
programmes for
children with spastic hemiplegia by incorporating
magic hand tricks –
prestidigitation. Methods. Movement exercises
designed as 'magic'
tricks were provided by therapists in consultation
with professional
magicians. A pilot project was run (n=9) followed by
a larger clinical
trial (n=23). Children in the pilot study reported finding
the tasks
challenging but fun and parents reported that they were
motivated to
practice. The clinical trial showed improvements in
movement skills
after 60 hours of intervention (2-week summer camp)
with preliminary
results showing significant differences in number of
activities
performed independently and number of activities performed
successfully with
two hands following treatment. The results of these
two projects will
be reported and demonstrated to consider the
feasibility of
‘magic’ to promote motivation and compliance in
therapeutic
rehabilitation and enhance motor skills. Conclusion:
Preliminary results
suggest that children with motor disorders, find
practicing magic
hand tricks fun with some measurable changes in
skill. Further
research is required to consider methods of delivery and
determine benefits
across other disorders and/or patient groups.
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