title: Language and motor speech skills in children with cerebral palsy.
abstract: The aim of the study was to investigate associations between the severity of motor limitations, cognitive difficulties, language and motor speech problems in children with cerebral palsy. Also, the predictive power of neonatal cranial ultrasound findings on later outcome was investigated. For this purpose, 36 children (age range 1 year 10 months to 9 years 0 months) with cerebral palsy due to premature birth and white-matter damage (periventricular leukomalacia) participated in the study. Twenty-two children (62%) had an intelligence level above 70. One-half of this group exhibited motor speech problems. Children with an intelligence level below 70 (n=14, 38%) showed problems in motor speech skills as well as in verbal expressive and comprehensive skills. Neonatal cranial ultrasonography findings were moderately associated with the severity of functional motor limitations.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Readers will be able to: (1) describe different hypotheses regarding the relationship between language, speech, intelligence level and severity of cerebral palsy, (2) discuss how intelligence and functional motor limitations impact language and speech performance for children with cerebral palsy and (3) discuss the predictability of the ultrasound methodology.
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Research Centre, Tampere University Hospital, Tauh, Finland. silja.pirila@pshp.fi
authors.forename: Silja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pirila
authors.forename: Jaap
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van der Meere
authors.forename: Taina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pentikainen
authors.forename: Pirjo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ruusu-Niemi
authors.forename: Raija
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Korpela
authors.forename: Jenni
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kilpinen
authors.forename: Pirkko
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nieminen
mesh_terms: D001072:Apraxias / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007969:Leukomalacia, Periventricular / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology