Influence of the environment on performance of gross motor function in children with cerebral palsy

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Fatudimu, Margaret Bukola

Affiliations: Department of Physiotherapy, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract: Assessment and physiotherapy intervention for children with cerebral palsy (CP) are conventionally carried out in the hospital or clinic setting. However, the daily lives of these children include a variety of environmental settings in addition to the clinical setting. The objective of this study was therefore to explore the possible influence of the environment on motor function in children with CP. Purposively selected children with CP (n=107), ages 1 and 6 years with mean age of 2.1 years (SD 1.10 yrs), were involved in this study. The motor function of each child was assessed in the hospital and at their homes within a one-week interval, using the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM); this was done at the baseline and on a monthly basis for eight consecutive months. The paired t-test rank was computed to compare the overall GMFM score and each of the sub-domain scores measured in the clinic and at home. GMFM scores measured at home were significantly higher than those measured in the clinic and this pattern was also obtained for the sub-domains throughout the study period, suggesting that children performed gross motor functions better at their homes than in the clinic.

Keywords: Environment, gross motor function, cerebral palsy

DOI: 10.3233/PRM-2012-0210

Journal: Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 181-186, 2012