OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of an intensive, home-based program of treadmill training on motor skills related to walking in pre-ambulatory children with cerebral palsy (CP). DESIGN: Quasi-randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Homes of the participants. PARTICIPANTS: Twelve children with CP with Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I and II were assigned to the intervention group (n = 6) (mean age 21.76 months (6.50)) and control group (n = 6) (mean age of 21.25 (6.07)). All children were tested pre-intervention, post-intervention, at a 1-month and at a 4-month follow-up. INTERVENTIONS: All children received their weekly scheduled physical therapy sessions at their homes. In addition, children in the intervention group walked on a portable treadmill in their homes 6 times per week, twice daily for 10 to 20 minute sessions, for 6 weeks. The intervention was carried out by the children's parents with weekly supervision by a physical therapist. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Gross Motor Function Measure-66 (GMFM-66) Dimensions D/E, Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-2 (PDMS-2), Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI), Timed 10-meter Walk Test (10MWT) and Functional Mobility Scale (FMS). The Friedman test and Mann-Whitney-U test was conducted for within-group and between-group differences, respectively. RESULTS: There was a significant between-group treatment effect for the PDMS-2 at post-test (p = 0.01) and 1-month post-intervention follow-up (p = 0.09) as well as for the PEDI (p = 0.01) at post-test, the 1-month post-intervention (p = 0.009) and the 4-month post-intervention follow-up (p = 0.04). The FMS was significant at the post-test (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Home-based treadmill training accelerates the attainment of walking skills and decreases the amount of support used for walking in young children with CP.

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