Bootle Blast: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
Key facts
- Where
- Ajax, Ottawa, and Toronto, CanadaSee the 3 sites
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 6 and 17 years old?
Source: NCT07289360, who can take part
Where in Canada
- Grandview KidsAjax, CanadaContact: Shantel MangrooNot yet recruiting
- Children'S Hospital Of Eastern OntarioOttawa, CanadaContact: Adina Research Assistant, MScTaking people
- Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation HospitalToronto, CanadaContact: Selvi Research Coordinator, MEngTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorTrial details
- Who runs it
- Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
- Trial code
- NCT07289360
- Record updated
- 8 January 2026
- Original description
One in 500 Canadians has cerebral palsy (CP), a lifelong condition affecting movement and function. Physical and occupational therapies greatly benefit children with CP but can be costly and difficult to access. Children, parents, and clinicians are interested in using movement-tracking video games for home-based hand/arm therapy. Yet, the technologies and evidence to support this approach are limited. We partnered with key stakeholders and an interdisciplinary team to co-create Bootle Blast. Bootle Blast tracks skeletal movements and interactions with real-life objects, engaging children in individualized play experiences rich in feedback, task specificity, and opportunities for goal-directed motor practice linked to meaningful activities.Read full original descriptionShow less
Testing a Mixed-Reality Video Game for Home-Based Practice of Arm-Hand Skills for Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
One in 500 Canadians has cerebral palsy (CP), a lifelong condition affecting movement and function. Physical and occupational therapies greatly benefit children with CP but can be costly and difficult to access. Children, parents, and clinicians are interested in using movement-tracking video games for home-based hand/arm therapy. Yet, the technologies and evidence to support this approach are limited. We partnered with key stakeholders and an interdisciplinary team to co-create Bootle Blast. Bootle Blast tracks skeletal movements and interactions with real-life objects, engaging children in individualized play experiences rich in feedback, task specificity, and opportunities for goal-directed motor practice linked to meaningful activities.
To establish Bootle Blast's clinical effectiveness, a large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) is needed. Pilot RCTs provide important insights that position large-scale RCTs for success. As a result, the goal of this Pilot RCT is to test whether a mixed-reality video game intervention (i.e. Bootle Blast) can improve upper-limb function, activity, and participation in children and youth aged 6-17 years with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. The main questions it aims to answer are: (1) Is it feasible and acceptable for families to use Bootle Blast at home for 12 weeks? (2) Does the intervention show preliminary improvements in hand-arm motor outcomes compared to usual care?
Researchers will compare an immediate Bootle Blast intervention group to a waitlist comparison group that continues usual care for 12 weeks to see whether access to Bootle Blast leads to increased practice, greater engagement, and improved motor outcomes.
Participants will:
Complete three in-person assessments (baseline, 12 weeks, 24 weeks) with standardized motor and participation measures.
Be randomized to begin 12 weeks of home-based Bootle Blast immediately or after a 12-week waitlist period.
Use the Bootle Blast game at home for 15-20 minutes per day, 3-4 days per week, with all gameplay tracked automatically.
A subset of participants will also receive weekly 10-minute support calls from a monitoring coach.
Inclusion: Diagnosis of hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy; MACS levels I (handles objects easily) to III (handles objects with difficulty); Aged 6 to 17 years with sufficient cognitive capacity and cooperation to play Bootle Blast and complete outcome assessments; Ability to communicate in English; Able to travel to Holland Bloorview, Grandview or CHEO and complete a total of 3 in-person study appointments; Has a large screen (e.g. TV) with an appropriate play space (3m x 3m) in front; At least intermittent access to the internet; Have time to play Bootle Blast for 15-20 minutes/day, 3-4 days/week for 12 weeks.
Exclusion: Received upper limb surgery, botulin toxin injections in the past 4 months, or constraint therapy/casting in the previous 3 months that may be associated with changing abilities; Currently or anticipates receiving active treatments impacting upper limb function during the study period; Uncontrolled epilepsy that may be triggered by video game play; Medical condition impeding safe participation in physical activity associated with Bootle Blast; Visual limitations that interfere with Bootle Blast play.