The relationship between gross motor function and participation restriction in children with cerebral palsy: an exploratory analysis.
BACKGROUND
Children with cerebral palsy (CP) experience a variety of functional limitations depending on the severity of their condition that impact on their participation in day-to-day activities.


METHODS
The gross motor function and participation restrictions experienced by 60 ambulant children with CP (mean age 11.04 years) were assessed using the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-88) and the Lifestyle Assessment Questionnaire - Cerebral Palsy (LAQ-CP).


RESULTS
A significant negative correlation existed between the GMFM-88 and the LAQ-CP (r = -0.52, P < 0.001). Significant relationships were also identified between the GMFM-88 and the physical independence, mobility, economic burden and social integration domains of the LAQ-CP.


CONCLUSIONS
In ambulatory children with CP, better physical function is associated with a lesser impact of disability; however, the relationship between function and participation is complex. Measures of participation restriction may assist with goal setting appropriate to the specific needs of the child and family.
Kerr
C
C
Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.
McDowell
B
B
McDonough
S
S
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires