The goal of this case-control study is to assess the impact of a novel method which adapts shaping activities into mirror therapy to improve dexterity, reaction time, and motor learning of the non-dominant hand in healthy individuals. The main question it aims to answer is:

Does the use of Shaping Method as a protocol in Mirror Therapy will have an enhancing effect on upper extremity motor skills, motor learning and reaction time in healthy individuals.

The objective of this study is to compare the intervention group, which will undergo shaping method activities in accordance with the protocol set out in Mirror Therapy, with the control group. This will enable an assessment of the impact of this approach on dexterity, reaction time and motor learning of the non-dominant hand in healthy individuals.

Participants in intervention group will:

• Use the Shaping Method activities with mirror therapy for 4 weeks.
• Come to the exercise lab 2 times a week for 4 weeks.
• Participate in assessment tests at the beginning and end of the intervention period.

Participants in control group will:

• Take assessment tests twice, four weeks apart.
• Maintain their daily routine for the duration of their participation in the study.

In our study, 30 healthy adults were included in the intervention group and the same number of age- and gender-matched healthy adults were included in the control group.

The intervention group received 20-minute sessions, 2 days a week for 4 weeks. During the sessions, participants were seated with the non-dominant hand behind the mirror device and the dominant hand in front. The participants were instructed to perform the following exercises with their dominant hand for 10 repetitions in accordance with the Shaping Method: Clothespin attachment activity, Ring threading on rod, Connecting the dots, Putting pencils in the glass, Velcro board activity, Dipping fork in play dough activity, Placing the cubes in the box activity, Ball insertion into perforated plastic plate, The activity of touching colored paper placed between white papers, Geometric jigsaw activity. Participants were assessed with outcome measures before and at the end of the 4-week intervention period.

Participants in the control group received no intervention and were asked to continue their daily routines for 4 weeks. These participants were also assessed with outcome measures twice at 4-week intervals.

The SPSS 27.0 package program was used for statistical analysis. The normality of the distribution of quantitative variables was evaluated using the Shapiro-Wilk test. The demographic and clinical data were summarized as the mean ± standard deviation (SD) for the continuous variables and the number and percentage for the categorical variables. The initial measurements of the groups were compared using an independent samples t-test. A paired t-test was used to investigate intragroup differences between the pre- and post-tests. A one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was employed to determine the differences between the intervention and control groups, with baseline measurements serving as covariates. The differences between the groups were calculated based on the post-intervention assessment and the change from the pre-intervention values. The statistical significance was set to p< 0.05, and the effect sizes were interpreted as follows: ≤ 0.2, small; around 0.5, medium; ≥ 0.8, large.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Between 18-30 years old
• Dominant limb is right

Exclusion Criteria:

• A history of orthopedic disease, neurological disease, and/or surgery of the upper extremities