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Event-related Potentials During Target-response Tasks to Study Cognitive Processes of Upper Limb Use in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy
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Social outcomes of young adults with cerebral palsy

Dinah S Reddihough1, Benran Jiang, Anna Lanigan

  • 1Developmental Medicine, The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.

Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability
|May 16, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Young adults with cerebral palsy (CP) face significant functional and social disadvantages compared to peers without CP. This study highlights challenges in self-care, education, employment, and independent living for this population.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

  • Young adults with cerebral palsy (CP) have limited research on their functional and social outcomes.
  • Advances in pediatric care have increased the survival rate of individuals with CP into adulthood to 90%.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the functional abilities and social outcomes of young adults with CP.
  • To compare these outcomes with a population-based control group of peers without disability.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 335 young adults (aged 20-30) with CP was compared to 2,152 individuals without CP.
  • Data on motor function, self-care, education, and social outcomes were collected via questionnaires.

Main Results:

  • Only 50% of young adults with CP could walk independently, and 35.5% were independent in self-care.
  • Compared to controls, the CP group had lower educational attainment (p < .0001), lower employment rates (36.3% vs. 80%), and were more likely to live with parents (80% vs. 21%).
  • The study group also reported being more likely to be single and have limited financial resources.

Conclusions:

  • Young adults with CP experience significant functional and social disadvantages compared to their non-disabled peers.
  • While self-care dependence, intellectual disability, and communication impairments are contributing factors, they do not solely explain these disparities.
Abstract

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