Abstract

Background. The Manual Ability Classification System is a five-level scale for evaluating the manual ability of children with cerebral palsy aged 4-18 years. The aim of the study was to determine how the manual ability of cerebral palsied children and youth is influenced by the type of cerebral palsy and daily activities indicating various levels of psychomotor development. Material and methods. The study involved a group of 40 children with cerebral palsy aged 4-18 years attending Special Education School Complex No. 103 and Special Education Kindergarten No. 164 in Poznań. The research tool was a questionnaire containing the Manual Ability Classification System filled in by the parents. ICP type according to the Ingram classification was determined together with the level of psychomotor development.Results. Children with bilateral hemiplegia (16) represented the poorest manual abilities compared to children with spastic diplegia (13) or spastic hemiplegia (11). There was a correlation between the ease of handling everyday objects and the ability to crawl (F (1.38) = 21.466, p = 0.0004) and between the ability to stand up unassisted and the ability to stand unassisted(F(1.38)=35.894,p=. 00000).Conclusions. 1. Children with bilateral hemiplegia were most limited in their ability to handle everyday objects. 2. The ability to crawl, stand up unassisted and stand unassisted were correlated with good object handling skills.

Key words:

manual ability, infantile cerebral palsy, psychomotor development