Evaluation of daily and social participation of children with Cerebral Palsy across different age groups with a focus on the 'F'-words: Function, family, fitness, fun, friends and future.
In CP, prioritize self-care for under-5s and mobility/ability training for teens to keep kids active at any age.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Kerem-Günel et al. (2023) asked parents of children with cerebral palsy about daily and social activities.
They used the 'F-words' checklist: function, family, fitness, fun, friends, future.
Kids were split into six age bands from toddler to high-school.
What they found
Self-care skills were the top predictor of participation for under-fives.
For teens, mobility level and overall ability mattered most.
Predictors shifted with age, not staying the same across childhood.
How this fits with other research
McIntyre et al. (2017) also found that motor, hand, and communication levels drive participation.
The new study extends that work by showing the drivers change as kids grow.
Majnemer et al. (2015) tracked the same children over time and saw leisure drop as they became teens.
Mintaze et al. now give us a road map: target self-care early and mobility later to fight that decline.
Why it matters
You can plan age-smart goals instead of one-size-fits-all programs.
Push dressing and feeding skills for preschoolers, then shift to gait training and wheelchair sports for adolescents.
This small tweak keeps kids in the game longer and may protect adult participation.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: The impact of disability differs across cultures. This study aimed to determine the predictors of participation in children with cerebral palsy (CP) in Turkey, based on the six F-words. METHODS: Cross-sectional study exploring participation profiles of 450 children with CP, aged between 2 and 18 years. Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) evaluated functional skills, and Assessment of Life Habits (LIFE-H) version 3.0 assessed daily and social participation. Hierarchical linear regression models were done to determine the predictors of participation in daily activities (PDA) and social roles (PSR) in three age groups (2-4, 5-13 and 14-18 years) based on the 6 F-words (mobility of PEDI for 'fitness'; four classification systems and self-care of PEDI for 'functioning'; social functions of PEDI for 'friends'; demographic information by parents for 'family'; the recreation of LIFE-H for 'fun'; and different stages of development for 'future'). RESULTS: The most important predictors for total PDA by age group were: self-care (p = 0.012) of PEDI in 2-4 y; self-care (p = 0.001) and mobility (p = 0.005) of PEDI in 5-13 y; GMFCS (p = 0.006) and mobility (p = 0.002) of PEDI in 14-18 y. Significant predictors for PSR differed by age group: self-care (p = 0.001) of PEDI in 2-4 y; self-care (p = 0.023) and mobility (p = 0.006) of PEDI in 5-13 y; and GMFCS (p = 0.004) and MACS (p = 0.003) in 14-18 y. CONCLUSIONS: Six F-words of function and fitness focussed on self-care in younger children with an increasing emphasis on mobility and ability levels according to age. Therefore, rehabilitation for different aspects of the functional levels is needed to improve participation in life across the six F-words framework; plus take into consideration context, age-differences, family's expectations, life requirements, environmental needs, and cultural differences.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2023 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2023.104588