Executive function in school-aged children with cerebral palsy: Relationship with speech and language.
Ashley Sakash, Aimee Teo Broman, Paul J Rathouz and 1 others
PMID 29853333WHAT IT FOUND
Children with cerebral palsy showed elevated executive function difficulties regardless of their speech and language abilities.
Parents reported significantly higher problem behaviors than expected in typical children. Clinicians should screen for executive function issues in all patients, even those with strong communication skills.
Key findings
01Mean executive function scores were significantly higher than the typical population mean for all speech-language profile groups.
02The proportion of children with clinically elevated executive function scores was significantly higher than the 6.68% expected in typical children.
03There were no significant differences in executive function scores between children with different speech and language profiles.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (47 children) and not fully representative of the broader population of children with cerebral palsy. The study did not include children with anarthria (no functional speech), who often have more severe motor and cognitive impairments. Executive function was measured using a parent questionnaire, which is an indirect measure. Parent perceptions may be influenced by the child's disability severity or by the level of support the child receives. The study did not examine the relationship between executive function and gross motor or manual abilities.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest or funding sources are declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that executive function difficulties are more severe in children with speech or language impairments. The study found no significant difference in executive function scores between children with typical communication and those with speech or language problems, indicating these cognitive issues are widespread across the cerebral palsy population.