Interlimb coupling in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy.

Children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy participated in three experiments designed to examine interlimb coupling during reaching and pointing/grasping tasks. Comparisons were made between the hands working in isolation and working together. Descriptions of the movements involved both qualitative and quantitative methods, using normal video analysis and kinematic analysis. In order to obtain a total picture of reaching and grasping it was necessary to examine multiple variables both qualitatively and quantitatively. There was strong evidence of coupling between the hands, with coupling of timing being the most prevalent followed by coupling of trajectory and hand posture. All children showed some form of coupling in the experiments.