Head position trainer application for research and clinical use.

The head position trainer (HPT) is a frequently used biofeedback device for improving the head control of cerebral palsied children. When the HPT is used as a training or evaluative device, questions may arise regarding the consistency and accuracy of positioning it on the head and the position of the trainee's head. This article describes a technique for positioning and orienting the head and the HPT to one another and to common axes. With the subject in a supine position on a specially designed platform, the long axes of the zygomatic arch and the control box of the HPT were oriented vertically. The headband of the HPT then was tightened about the midforehead and the occipital areas. Reference marks were made on the forehead and the HPT was removed. After the subject assumed the sitting position, the HPT was reapplied using the forehead reference marks and the occipital areas as guides. Test-retest procedures were conducted using different therapists to apply the HPT to healthy and to handicapped subjects. The criterion score was the degrees difference between the long axes of the HPT control box and the zygomatic arch, an angle that would be 0 degree if the two long axes were parallel. No significant differences were observed between Trials 1 and 2, and the correlation coefficient between the two trials was statistically significant (p less than .02) in all situations. The HPT referencing platform can be constructed at minimal expense, and the technique of HPT application is relatively quick and reliable, and it produces minimal stress in handicapped subjects.