Relationships between Physical and Cognitive Functioning and Activities of Daily Living in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

[Purpose] The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between physical function, cognitive function, and activities of daily living in children with cerebral palsy. [Subjects] Sixty-eight children who had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and have participated in inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation programs were enrolled in the present study. We used 3 clinical assessments: the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM), the Bayley Infant Development Screening Test-II (BSID-II), and the Wee Functional Independence Measure (WeeFIM). [Results] The GMFM was positively correlated with the BSID-II motor scale and the BSID-II cognitive scale, but not with the WeeFIM scores. The BSID-II motor scale was significantly correlated with the GMFM and BSID-II cognitive scale, but not with the WeeFIM. [Conclusion] The results of this study provide evidence of the necessity of including cognitive and physical impairments in the examination and evaluation of children with cerebral palsy in research and clinical settings.