Development of fluid intelligence in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: A cross-sectional study.
Hand-use level predicts when kids with cerebral palsy will fall behind peers in fluid reasoning—around age five.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Asano et al. (2025) looked at fluid intelligence in kids with cerebral palsy.
They used the Manual Ability Classification System (MACS) to group kids by hand-use level.
The team compared these kids to typically developing peers across different ages.
What they found
Kids with better hand skills (lower MACS levels) kept up with peers longer.
Around age 4.8 years, the curves split.
After that point, kids with limited hand use fell behind in fluid reasoning.
How this fits with other research
Carter et al. (2011) saw the same split but tied it to walking level (GMFCS).
Daiki now shows hand use (MACS) is the sharper predictor.
Hopkins et al. (2023) found kids with CP make odd errors on the same Raven test, so look at error types plus total score.
Compagnone et al. (2014) already linked MACS to IQ; this paper adds the age when gaps open.
Why it matters
You can now forecast when a child with CP may need extra cognitive support.
Check MACS level at intake. If it is III or higher, plan richer non-verbal tasks before age five.
Pair the Raven test with brief error notes to catch both delay and style differences in the same sitting.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Cerebral palsy (CP) often presents alongside cognitive developmental delays and motor impairments. This study aimed to identify the function most closely linked to the development of fluid intelligence in individuals with CP, and to estimate the point at which the fluid intelligence of children with CP diverges from that of typically developing (TD) children. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM) were used to evaluate the fluid intelligence of participants. Fifty-one participants with CP aged 4-18 years and 33 TD children aged 3-9 years were included in this study and underwent RCPM testing. The severity of CP was assessed using the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), Manual Ability Classification System (MACS) and Communication Function Classification System (CFCS). RESULTS: Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that within the three distinct functional levels, MACS was a significant predictor of fluid intelligence in children with CP (β = - 0.29, p < 0.05). Significant disparities in the development of fluid intelligence between the CP and TD groups emerge after 57.6 months of age. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The findings offer valuable insights into timely and functionally targeted interventions to prevent cognitive stagnation.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2025 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2025.104928