Clinical use of ACQUIRE Therapy for Children Diagnosed With CASK-Gene Related Disabilities

Objective: To report practice based evidence built on clinical findings where an intensive therapeutic approach called ACQUIRE Therapy was used as a rehabilitation/habilitation tool for children diagnosed with CASK mutations. ACQUIRE Therapy delivery is based on principles of learning and guided by a therapeutic framework often used in the delivery of intensive therapy.

Design: Clinical Cohort.

Setting: Natural environments (e.g., home-like environment).

Participants: A total of 20 females, 12 to 128 months, mean age = 44.75 (SD = 31.64).

Intervention: Trained Occupational therapists delivered high-dosage rehabilitation for an average of 64.06 hours (SD = 12.91) across 4 weeks. ACQUIRE Therapy targeted cross-domain intervention targets often associated with executive control and praxis.

Main outcome measures: Clinical data was examined from the following sources; therapist daily treatment documentation (eg, therapy goals, video recordings, daily therapy logs, and discharge documentation).

Results: Receptive communication improved in all children. The most common motor skill improvements occurred in trunk control occurring in 33% of children; followed by, gross reaching abilities in 21% of children; fine-motor skills in 19%; head control in 15%; and mobility in 12%. Documentation of cognitive-motor pairing of skills was documented in all children.

Conclusions: Diagnosis specific intervention targets (eg, attention and cognitive-pairing skills) need to be considered when providing therapeutic services to children with CASK-gene mutations and other forms of Global Developmental Delay.