Semicircular canal stimulation in cerebral palsied children.

Twelve cerebral palsied children were exposed to 16 sessions of horizontal and vertical semicircular canal stimulation over a four-week period in order to determine the effectiveness of this form of stimulation as a therapeutic procedure. A control group of 11 cerebral palsied children was included. A quantitative evaluation of a series of reflexes and of gross motor skills showed a highly significant degree of improvement following the four weeks of treatment. A qualitative evaluation of each subject corroborated these findings and suggested improvements in fine motor control and in social/emotional behavior. A possible central nervous system mechanism underlying the improvement in motor skills is discussed.