Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences
Volume 26, Issue 7 , Pages 341-349, July 2010

Developmental Profiles of Preschool Children With Spastic Diplegic and Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy

  • Ya-Chen Lee

      Affiliations

    • Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Sijhih Cathay General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Ching-Yi Wu

      Affiliations

    • Department of Occupational Therapy, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Mei-Yun Liaw

      Affiliations

    • Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Keh-Chung Lin

      Affiliations

    • Graduate Institute of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Ya-Wen Tu

      Affiliations

    • Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Sijhih Cathay General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Chia-Ling Chen

      Affiliations

    • Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan
    • Graduate Institute of Early Intervention, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress correspondence and reprint requests to: Dr Chia-Ling Chen, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 5 Fu-Hsing Street, Kwei-Shan, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Chung-Yao Chen

      Affiliations

    • Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Wen-Yu Liu

      Affiliations

    • Department of Physical Therapy, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan

Received 8 July 2009; accepted 27 January 2010.

Article Outline

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a disorder of movement and posture control with multiple impairments. The clinical manifestations of CP vary among children. The aim of this study was to compare the developmental profiles of preschool children with either of two types of CP: spastic diplegic (SD) CP and spastic quadriplegic (SQ) CP. Relationships between the children's various developmental functions were also investigated. We recruited 137 children with spastic CP, aged 1-5 years (mean age = 3.7 ± 2.1 years), and we classified them into two groups: SD (n = 59) and SQ (n = 78). The comparison group comprised 18 children with typical development. Developmental functions were assessed in all the children, using the Chinese Child Development Inventory with the updated norms. This scale addressed eight functional domains: gross motor ability, fine motor ability, expressive language ability, concept comprehension ability, situation comprehension ability, self-help ability, personal-social skills, and general development. A development quotient (DQ) was determined for each domain as a percentage of the developmental age divided by the chronological age. The developmental profiles of the CP subtypes were found to differ. Children with SQ were found to have lower DQs than those with SD (p < 0.01). There was also a difference in the distribution of DQs between the SD and SQ groups, although the lowest DQ in both groups was for the gross motor domain. An uneven delay in the development of gross motor function was found in both groups of children with CP. Motor functions, including gross motor and fine motor functions, were significantly related to self-help ability. Complex and significant correlations among developmental functions were also identified in children with CP. The findings in the present study may allow clinicians to anticipate the developmental profile of children with CP on the basis of whether they have the SD or SQ subtype. This, in turn, is likely to facilitate individual assessment, goal setting, and the planning of interventions in children with CP.

Key Words:  cerebral palsy , cerebral palsy subtypes , developmental function , motor function

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PII: S1607-551X(10)70057-7

doi:10.1016/S1607-551X(10)70057-7

Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences
Volume 26, Issue 7 , Pages 341-349, July 2010

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