School readiness of children with cerebral palsy

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Developmental Psychology
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Cerebral palsy (CP) affects motor function and can impact other developmental domains.
• Assessing school readiness is crucial for timely educational support.
• Preschool-aged children with CP require specific evaluations to identify developmental needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare school readiness in preschool children with CP against norms for children with typical development (CTD).
• To evaluate performance across motor, self-care, social, and communication domains.
• To identify specific areas of delay impacting school readiness in children with CP.

Main Methods:

• 151 preschool children with CP (ages 48-60 months corrected) were assessed.
• Evaluations included the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) and the Communication and Symbolic Behaviour Scales Developmental Profile (CSBS-DP).
• Results were compared to reference samples of CTD using linear regression analysis by functional severity.

Main Results:

• Children with CP scored significantly lower than CTD across all assessed domains.
• Delays were noted in self-care (0.5-4+ SD below CTD), motor performance (2->4+ SD below CTD), and social function (0.5->4+ SD below CTD).
• 55% of children with CP exhibited delayed communication skills; non-ambulant children had lower scores than ambulant peers.

Conclusions:

• Preschool children with CP demonstrate significant deficits in key school readiness areas, including mobility, self-care, social function, and communication.
• Multimodal screening and targeted interventions are essential to facilitate school readiness for children with CP.
• Addressing these developmental gaps is critical for successful school transitions.