title: Behavioural and emotional symptoms of preschool children with cerebral palsy: a population-based study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe behavioural and emotional symptoms among Icelandic preschool children with cerebral palsy (CP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Children with congenital CP, assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist/1½-5 (CBCL/1½-5) and Caregiver-Teacher Report Form (C-TRF), were enrolled in the study. A comparison group was recruited from the general population. Thirty-six children (53% males) with CP were assessed at a mean age of 4 years 11 months (SD 5 mo, range 4-6 y); 26 (72%) had bilateral distribution of symptoms and 32 (89%) had spastic CP. Thirty (83%) were at Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I or II and six at levels III or IV. For comparison, 110 (43% males) and 120 (48% males) children were assessed with the CBCL/1½-5 and the C-TRF respectively, at a mean age of 4 years 6 months (SD 6 mo, range 4-6 y).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixteen children (48%) with CP had high scores on total problems scale of the CBCL/1½-5 and 20 (65%) on the C-TRF compared with 18% of the comparison group, both on the CBCL/1½-5 and the C-TRF (p<0.001). Children with CP had higher scores on all subscales of the CBCL/1½-5 and the C-TRF, except somatic complaints. Attention difficulties, withdrawn, aggressive behaviour, and anxious/depressed symptoms were most pronounced among children with CP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A large proportion of preschool children with CP have substantial behavioural and emotional difficulties, which need to be addressed in their treatment.
authors.affiliation: State Diagnostic and Counselling Centre, Kopavogur, Iceland. solveig@greining.is
authors.forename: Solveig
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sigurdardottir
authors.forename: Marit S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Indredavik
authors.forename: Auður
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eiriksdottir
authors.forename: Katrín
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Einarsdottir
authors.forename: Halldór S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Gudmundsson
authors.forename: Torstein
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vik
mesh_terms: D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018672:Community Health Planning; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric