Body representation in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy
Patrícia Lemos Bueno Fontes1,2, Thalita Karla Flores Cruz1, Deisiane Oliveira Souto1
1a Programa de Pós-graduação em Neurociências , Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais , Belo Horizonte , Brazil.
Insights
Children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (HCP) show deficits in body schema, structural description, and image. These impairments are generalized and not dependent on which side of the body is affected.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (HCP) often neglect the affected upper limb.
- Understanding body representations is crucial for assessing functional deficits in HCP.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate deficits in body schema, body structural description, and body image in children with HCP.
- To compare these body representations between children with HCP and typically developing (TD) children.
- To explore if hemiplegia laterality influences these deficits.
Main Methods:
- Comparative study involving three groups: TD children, children with right HCP, and children with left HCP.
- Assessment of body schema, body structural description, and body image.
- Age range of participants: 5.17-10.92 years.
Main Results:
- Children with HCP exhibited generalized deficits across all three assessed body representations.
- No significant difference was found in the pattern or severity of deficits based on the laterality of hemiplegia (right vs. left).
Conclusions:
- Hemiplegic cerebral palsy is associated with widespread impairments in body representation.
- The affected side of the body does not appear to alter the nature of these representational deficits.
Abstract:
Clinical observations indicate that many children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy refrain from using or disregard the affected upper limb. The aim of the present study is to investigate deficits in different body representations (body schema, body structural description, and body image) in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (HCP) compared to typically-developing (TD) children. Three groups of children participated in this study: 42 TD children (aged 5.17-10.91 years), 23 children with right HCP (aged 5.83-10.92 years), and 22 children with left HCP (aged 5.67-10.90 years). The results demonstrate generalized deficits in all three body representations in children with HCP, and do not offer evidence for an effect of hemiplegia laterality.
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