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This case report was designed to assess the efficacy of virtual reality (VR) rehabilitation on improving upper extremity function for a child with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy.In addition to conventional therapies completed three times per week, the participant engaged in virtual reality rehabilitation with the Neofect Smart Kids five to seven days per week for six weeks totaling just over twelve hours of intervention time. Outcome measures were administered pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 6-weeks post-intervention.Varying levels of improvement in motor function, quality of movement, and functional use were observed during intervention evidenced by improved scores on the following standardized assessments: Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, Second Edition; the Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test; and the Pediatric Evaluation and Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test. The participant maintained improvements in motor skills at 6-weeks post intervention, however, the quality of his movements and overall frequency of use with his affected upper extremity decreased in the 6-weeks following termination of intervention.Even though the results are not generalizable, the VR intervention for this child allowed for greater movement repetition and improved functional upper extremity use.

Accredited occupational therapy education programs are required to include telehealth technology in their curricula as outlined by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education. An innovative Doctor of Occupational Therapy program piloted a telehealth module with first- and second-year students. Both dynamic lecture content and active learning lab exercises were created to advance student knowledge in the use of telehealth technology and to inform occupational therapy telehealth education. The teaching approaches in lecture and lab were assessed using a mixed methods approach. A quantitative pre and posttest assessment of student self-efficacy and knowledge was collected at three time points. At the final timepoint, a post survey was also completed to collect qualitative perspectives of student experiences after the lecture content and lab exercise, to further explain quantitative findings. Results indicated that the students’ knowledge significantly improved after the module. In addition, engaging in lab after lecture did add a significant improvement in self-efficacy of students’ perception of their knowledge regarding telehealth as well as confidence in their ability to use telehealth. The outcomes of this study assist and inform occupational therapy education programs in determining an effective teaching format for instruction on the use of telehealth technology in practice.