Research Paper: An Investigation of the Social Function of Children With Cerebral Palsy of 2-6 Years Old

Children who have a disorder in motor function often suffer from disorders in other areas of their daily lives, such as social and communicative functions. The social function of children with cerebral palsy has so far been less studied than other aspects. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the social function of children with cerebral palsy of 2 to 6 years old. Methods: This (cross-sectional) descriptive-analytic study was performed on 100 children with cerebral palsy in two age groups of 2-4 and 4-6 years old who were selected through convenient sampling from the centers for occupational therapies in Isfahan city. Children’s motor function was classified according to Gross Motor Function Classification System (hereafter, GMFCS). The social function was completed by filling in the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) by interviewing the parents. Statistical analysis was done. Results: The statistical analyses of this study showed that there was a significant difference between the mean score of social function in 5 levels of motor function of children with cerebral palsy (P<0.0001). There was also a significant relationship between the age of children and their social function score (r=0.265 and P=0.008). Moreover, the mean scores of social function in the first and second levels of GMFCS had a significant difference in both groups (P=0.002); however, this difference was not significant in the other three levels (0.053˂P<0.647). Also, there was no significant difference between the mean score of social function of girls and that of boys (P=0.819). Discussion: The gross motor function of children with cerebral palsy is related to their social function. This means that the lower the gross motor function of children with cerebral palsy in the GMFCS system, the higher is their social function in both age groups of 2-4 and 4-6 years. The highest score of social function was related to the first level, which has the best motor function. As the level of gross motor function increases, the score decreases. Also, in this study, the comparison of social function, in two age groups, at the corresponding levels of GMFCS showed that with increasing motor constraints with age, no significant progress was made in the social function of children with cerebral palsy. Therefore, in addition to physical interventions, social interventions should be considered for children with cerebral palsy.