The relationship between motor abilities and early social development in a preschool cohort of children with cerebral palsy

Abstract

AIM: To investigate the relationship between motor ability and early social development in a cohort of preschool children with cerebral palsy (CP). DESIGN: Population-based cohort study. METHODS: Participants were 122 children with CP assessed at 18, 24 and 30 months, corrected age (ca). Motor ability was measured by the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) with classification assigned by physiotherapists. The sample was representative of a population-based cohort (I=48, 38.4%, II=19, 15.2%, III=17, 13.6%, IV=22, 17.6% and V=19, 15.2%). Social development was measured by the Paediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) and included capabilities in social interaction, so..