Parents Report More Positive Experiences With I-ACQUIRE Therapy After Perinatal Stroke

An analysis published in Stroke examined parent experiences within the US phase 3 I-ACQUIRE trial, involving 167 infants and toddlers with perinatal arterial ischemic stroke and hemiparesis. Children were randomized to usual treatment (n=53), moderate-dose I-ACQUIRE (n=56; 3 hours daily, 5 days weekly for 4 weeks), or high-dose I-ACQUIRE (n=58; 6 hours daily). This multicomponent constraint-induced movement therapy requires substantial parent participation. Assessments addressed stress, treatment concerns, perceived child progress, and parental responsibilities.

Parents in the I-ACQUIRE groups reported fewer concerns that therapy lacked clear benefits than those in usual treatment (≤4% versus 18%). Concerns about child–therapist interactions were also less frequent (≤2% versus 24%). More I-ACQUIRE parents described therapy as useful (94%–98% versus 83%), interesting (96%–98% versus 79%), and fun (78%–84% versus 53%).

Despite these positive perceptions, similar proportions described their role as stressful (26%–28% with I-ACQUIRE versus 32% with usual treatment). Difficulty and fatigue were reported across all groups, and general life stress was mostly moderate and similar between groups. These findings may inform family discussions about intensive rehabilitation, but they describe parent-reported experiences rather than objective child outcomes, which are presented elsewhere. The supplied abstract does not report statistical uncertainty for the comparisons.