Małgorzata Kilon, Martyna Ruszkiewicz, Jan W. Raczkowski

M. Kilon, M. Ruszkiewicz, J. W. Raczkowski – Evaluation of functional status of children with cerebral palsy using selected scales and tests. Fizjoterapia Polska 2018; 18(4); 86-93

Abstract
Objective. The aim of the study was to assess the functional status of children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) using selected scales and tests and to analyze the factors affecting the results.
Material and methods. The study involved 33 children diagnosed with CP, aged 4 to 18 years, attending selected rehabilitation centers in the Lodz region. The research tools included: an original questionnaire, the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) and the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) to evaluate the gross motor skills and the Manual Ability Classification System (MACS) for fine motor skills.
In the statistical analysis, the influence of quantitative variables on the scale results was determined on the basis of Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficient depending on the distribution. The one-way ANOVA or the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was used to assess the effect of qualitative variables on the functional efficiency of children.
Results. Seven children showed none or extremely low physical fitness. They were children with paralysis of four limbs – tetraparesis. The results of the tests were influenced by the length of pregnancy, birth weight, age and height and verbal-logical contact. No correlation was found between qualitative variables such as gender and coexisting epilepsy. A strong correlation was observed between fine and gross motor activity.
Conclusions. The examined children presented varying levels of functional fitness in the used scales and tests. The number of scores obtained by them was strictly related to the type of CP. Children in better verbal and logical contact achieved better scores in the assessed scales. Subjective assessment of children’s performance according to parents was in compliance with the test results.

Key words:
cerebral palsy, MACS, GMFM, GMFCS

 

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