Severity of Cerebral Palsy and Functional Performance

• Published in: Revista brasileira de fisioterapia (São Carlos (São Paulo, Brazil)) Vol. 8; no. 3; pp. 253 - 260
• Main Authors: Mancini, M C, Alves, ACM, Schaper, C, Figueiredo, E M, Sampaio, R F, Coelho, ZAC, Tirado, MGA
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: 01.12.2004
• ISSN: 1413-3555

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a movement and posture disorder which is resulted from a non-progressive lesion of the central nervous system, occurred in the early period of children's development. A variety of neuromuscular symptoms have been used to characterize the severity of neuromotor impairments in this clinical group. However, little is known about the impact of the severity of the neuromotor impairments on children's functional skills and independence. The objective of this study was to compare the impact of the severity of CP on children's functional profiles. Thirty-six children with CP, having impairment classified by the GMFCS as mild, moderate and severe, were evaluated using the PEDI test, which informs about children's functional skills and independence in the areas of self-care, mobility and social function. MANOVA models were used to compare the three severity groups (mild, moderate and severe), and the three domains of functional skills and independence (self-care, mobility and social function). ANOVA and Scheffe models were used to identify the differences between means in terms of direction and magnitude. Results revealed that children in the moderate severity group showed functional skills similar to those with mild severity, but an independence similar to those in the severe group. These results show the influence of different categories of neuromotor impairment, as well as the effects of the environment on the functional performance and independence of children with CP. Such results may guide professionals in defining valid clinical outcomes for this group of children.