[P2-56] Application of a new wearable switch using a sheet stretch sensor in severe cerebral palsy – a case report
[Introduction] Reaching towards a switch and holding it are often difficult for children with cerebral palsy given their paralysis and involuntary movements. A wearable switch with a new stretch sensor was applied in a child with severe motor dysfunction to enable the child to use a computer. [Methodology] A 17-year-old boy with athetoid-type cerebral palsy (GMFCS V) used a two-button trackball that could be operated with his chin for a desktop computer. Involuntary upper limb movements did not allow a balanced posture, thereby interrupting the trackball control. The stretch sensor switch was introduced 1) to prevent involuntary movements, 2) to reduce the side-bending movements at the neck joint to maintain an upright posture, and 3) to improve the working efficiency. The switch was attached to the dorsal regions of the right hand crossing the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) and metacarpophalangeal (MP) joints. The switch could be turned on by flexing the middle finger. This study was approved by ethical committee in Kobe University Graduate school of Health Science. [Results] The user was able to turn the switch on by flexing the two joints in the middle finger. Involuntary movements and the neck side-bending angle reduced with the use of the switch. Using the switch and the trackball allowed the user to drag and move icons on the computer screen. [Conclusions] The body-attached stretch sensor functioned as a wearable switch in a child who experienced difficulty in reaching towards and holding a mouse given his paralysis and involuntary movements.