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Longitudinal speech and gross motor function development in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy
Sydney A Jensen1,2, Katherine C Hustad1,2
1Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Insights
Speech and gross motor function in children with cerebral palsy (CP) show strong relationships but different developmental trajectories. Speech function (Viking Speech Scale/VSS) changed more frequently than gross motor function (Gross Motor Function Classification System/GMFCS) between ages 4 and 14.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric neurology
- Developmental pediatrics
- Speech-language pathology
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) impacts motor and speech functions.
- Longitudinal data on the developmental trajectories of these functions in children with CP is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze longitudinal changes in speech and gross motor function in children with CP from age 4 to 14.
- To compare the stability and change patterns of speech (Viking Speech Scale/VSS) and gross motor function (Gross Motor Function Classification System/GMFCS).
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal observational study of 44 children with CP.
- VSS and GMFCS assessments at ages 4 and 14 years.
- Polychoric correlations and bootstrapping used to analyze stability and change.
Main Results:
- Strong correlations between VSS and GMFCS classifications at both ages.
- Higher proportion of children changed VSS levels (43%) compared to GMFCS levels (34%) between ages 4 and 14.
- Few children showed concurrent changes in both speech and gross motor function.
Conclusions:
- Speech and gross motor abilities in children with CP are related but exhibit distinct developmental change patterns.
- Changes in VSS may indicate protracted speech development.
- Children with CP may benefit from continuous speech intervention throughout development, irrespective of gross motor status.
Aim:
To examine longitudinal changes in speech and gross motor function in children with cerebral palsy (CP) between 4 years and 14 years of age using the Viking Speech Scale (VSS) and the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS).
Method:
In this longitudinal observational study, 44 children (26 male, 18 female) with CP were assessed at ages 4 years and 14 years. VSS and GMFCS classifications were analysed at both time points using polychoric correlations with confidence intervals generated using bootstrapping to identify patterns of stability and change.
Results:
Classifications were strongly related at both ages. However, more children tended to change VSS levels (43%; 19/44) between 4 years and 14 years than GMFCS levels (34%; 15/44). Very few children demonstrated concurrent changes in both domains.
Interpretation:
Changes in VSS levels may reflect protracted speech development in children with CP. Results indicate that while speech and gross motor abilities are strongly related across development, their patterns of change differ descriptively over time. These findings support the idea that children with CP may benefit from ongoing speech intervention throughout childhood and adolescence, regardless of gross motor function.
