The young adult with cerebral palsy and his chances of employment.
Eighty-six CP patients aged 15 to 27 years and followed from six to 25 years by one of the authors were examined to look at the functional and working capacity and the employment situation of these patients. Their age was 15-16 years in 26 (30%) and 17-27 years in 60 (70%) of cases. There were 47 males and 39 females. Sixty-eight patients (79%) suffered from a spastic, 9 ones (10.5%) from a dyskinetic and another 9 cases from an ataxic syndrome. The vocational training consisted of vocational college in two (2.5%), vocational school in six (7%), vocational course college or on-the-job training in three (3.5%) cases. Five were acquiring vocational training and 70 (81%) lacked it. Ten patients (12%) were normally employed and working regularly, 39 (45%) were attending normal school, and 13 (15%) were able to work but unemployed at the time of investigation. Four patients (5%) were in sheltered work and the remaining twenty ones (23%) were totally unable to work. The spastic patients were remarkably better employed than those with a dyskinetic or ataxic syndrome.
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D012759:Sheltered Workshops; D014478:Unemployment; D014829:Vocational Education