The long-term effects of using magic tricks to
improve the motor skills of children with upper limb motor
disorders such as hemiplegia and paralysis are being assessed in an
international research project at Guy's Hospital and Ichilov
Hospital in Tel Aviv.
The project is the first of its kind and reflects the Charity's
commitment to investing in innovative health interventions and
evaluating the impact on clinical outcomes.
A pilot project in 2009 saw Magic Circle magicians working
alongside occupational therapists from the Evelina Children's
Hospital at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust to develop a
series of simple magic tricks that replicate the movements taught
in conventional therapy sessions, helping to make them more
enjoyable and encouraging children to keep up the practice at
home.
Since then, 10 day magic camps have taken place at Guy's
Hospital and in Tel Aviv during 2010 and one in Tel Aviv in 2011.
Participants are assessed two to four weeks before the camp starts,
then again at the camp's start and end to measure their progress,
and at three and six-month intervals to assess the programme's
impact.
Results show a significant increase in the number of activities
performed independently and number of activities performed
successfully with two hands following participation in the camp. No
significant loss of skills was noted at the three-month review,
suggesting that using magic as a motivator may enhance therapeutic
outcomes in children with spastic hemiplegia.
Amarlie Moore, paediatric occupational therapist at the Evelina
explains: "Most children have demonstrated markedly improved hand
skills following the camp in terms of spontaneous use of the
affected limb, strength, grasp, ability to release, and the timing
and coordination of movements. One child, for example, tended to
avoid using her hand at all. During the camp the strength and
coordination of her affected limb improved dramatically and she now
uses it spontaneously, carrying out actions she was unable to do
before."
The next step is to develop Magic Therapy as a clinical service
to increase their reach. "The camps aren't able to follow up more
than 10-12 children so the next step is to develop a clinical model
in different parts of the country," says Tel Aviv University's Dr
Dido Green.
Green is working on a formal assessment of the programme, which
involves evaluating improvements in independence in daily
activities by assessing bimanual motor skills as a primary outcome
and performance in bimanual and unimanual tasks as secondary
outcomes. This information will aid the development of targeted
interventions, while the effects of intervention on a range of
skills over time will also be analysed, along with the neurological
representation of movement and interaction of key defined
factors.