Examining various factors affecting communication skills in children with cerebral palsy

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Cerebral palsied children may have difficulties in acting as senders and/or receivers in the communication process. The aim of this study is examining that which maternal and child-related factors affect the communication skills of cerebral palsied children. METHODS: 188 cerebral palsy diagnosed children ages between 2-18 years were assessed by Communication Function Classification System for communication skills. Maternal factors such as occupation, and educational status, and child-related factors such as gender, time of birth, clinical type of cerebral palsy, origin period of cerebral palsy; also daily living activities and gross motor functions of children were included in the assessment for examining how they affect the communication skills of cerebral palsied children. RESULTS: Lower maternal age, higher gross motor function level, ataxic type and hemiparetic involvement (p < 0,05); educational status, maternal unemployment, female gender, and premature birth (p > 0,05) affected positively on the communication skills. There were no effects of delivery method (p > 0,05). CONCLUSIONS: Communication skills of cerebral palsied children are affected by maternal age, educational status, occupation, and child's gender, birth term, origin period of cerebral palsy, clinical type of cerebral palsy, extremity involvement, motor development level and gross motor function. But the method of delivery has no effect on the communication functions of cerebral palsied children.