Communication deficits in infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities.
CP alone means milder early language gaps than Down syndrome or seizures, but later risks remain.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team gave the BISCUIT-Part 1 to toddlers with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, or a history of seizures.
They wanted to know which group had the biggest communication delays.
What they found
Toddlers with CP had milder communication problems than toddlers with Down syndrome or seizures.
There was no gap between the CP group and the premature-birth group.
How this fits with other research
Storch et al. (2012) used the same toddlers and the same tool. They looked at challenging behavior instead of communication and found that seizures drove more tantrums.
McDuffie et al. (2016) studied slightly older preschoolers with CP. MRI lesions mattered, but gross motor level predicted communication better.
Tan et al. (2016) tracked social skills for years and showed that speech problems plus epilepsy slow long-term participation.
Taken together, the story is: CP alone is less risky for early language than Down syndrome or seizures, but later brain changes and epilepsy can still limit real-world communication.
Why it matters
If you test a toddler with CP and scores look better than expected, stay alert anyway. Keep watching for seizures and motor limits, because these can still drag language and social growth down the road. Use this info when you set priorities and explain prognosis to families.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Research that focuses on detecting and assessing the presence of communication impairments in children with developmental disabilities exists. However, more research is needed which compares these deficits across individuals with various developmental disabilities. This information could inform the assessment process and treatment programs. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine communication deficits in toddlers who were diagnosed with Down syndrome, Cerebral Palsy (CP), had a history of seizures or a seizure disorder, and who were born premature. A total of 140 toddlers 17-35 months of age met inclusion criteria for the study. Those diagnosed with CP evinced significantly fewer communication impairments on the Baby and Infant Screen for aUtIsm Traits-Part 1 (BISCUIT-Part 1) than children with Down syndrome and children with a history of seizures or seizure disorder. No significant differences were found on the communication subscale for the comparison of those with CP and those born prematurely. Children diagnosed with CP had fewer endorsements, indicating less impairment, on all six items of the Communication subscale of the BISCUIT-Part 1 when compared to the three other diagnostic groups. Implications of these results are discussed for children with differing handicaps.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2011 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2011.08.019