title: Functional capacity and assistance from the caregiver during daily activities in Brazilian children with cerebral palsy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cerebral Palsy (CP) presents changes in posture and movement as a core characteristic, which requires multiprofessional clinical treatments during children's habilitation or rehabilitation. Besides clinical treatment, it is fundamental that professionals use evaluation systems to quantify the difficulties presented to the individual and their families in their daily lives. We aimed to investigate the functional capacity of individuals with CP and the amount of assistance required by the caregiver in day-to-day activities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty patients with CP, six-year-old on average, were evaluated. The Pediatric Evaluation Inventory of Incapacities was used (PEDI - Pediatric Evaluation Disability Inventory), a system adapted for Brazil that evaluates child's dysfunction in three 3 dimensions: self-care, mobility and social function. To compare the three areas, repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found the following results regarding the functional capacity of children: self-care, 27.4%, ±17.5; mobility, 25.8%, ±33.3 and social function, 36.3%, ±27.7. The results of the demand of aid from the caregiver according to each dimension were: self-care, 9.7%, ±19.9; mobility, 14.1%, ± 20.9 and social function, 19.8%, ±26.1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We indicated that there was no difference between the performance of the subjects in areas of self-care, mobility and social function considering the functional skills and assistance required by the caregiver.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Escrita Científica, Faculdade de Medicina do ABC, Av, Príncipe de Gales, 821, 09060-650, Santo André, SP, Brazil. luizcarlos@usp.br.
authors.forename: Silvia Rp
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Malheiros
authors.forename: Carlos B de Mello
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Monteiro
authors.forename: Talita Dias
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Camila
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Torriani-Pasin
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Andrade
authors.forename: Vitor E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Valenti
authors.forename: Rodrigo Daminello
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Raimundo
authors.forename: Anelise
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roosch
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.forename: Katia Valeria
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Manhabusque
authors.forename: Regina Céliac Trindade
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Camargo
authors.forename: Jefferson
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Drezzet
authors.forename: Virginia Helena
authors.initials: VH
authors.lastname: Quadrado
authors.forename: Luiz Carlos
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: de Abreu