WISC-V motor-free cognitive profile and predictive factors in adolescents with cerebral palsy.
Use motor-free WISC-V subtests to avoid underestimating IQ in teens with cerebral palsy—expect uneven profiles with verbal relative strengths.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team gave 47 teens with cerebral palsy a motor-free version of the WISC-V IQ test. They skipped timed pencil tasks and used only verbal, picture, and block-tapping subtests.
They also recorded each teen’s birth weight, seizure history, and motor level. Then they ran numbers to see which medical facts matched lower scores.
What they found
Every teen scored below the average range on the motor-free index. Verbal scores stayed the strongest area; visual and working-memory scores were the weakest.
More severe motor limits, small birth size, and past seizures each added about 5-7 point drops. These three signs together cut almost 20 points from the total score.
How this fits with other research
Cheong et al. (2013) warned that no self-concept tool is yet solid for kids with CP. Monika et al. now show the same worry holds for IQ tools if you leave motor items in.
Perez et al. (2015) found MRI pictures give only fuzzy hints about future motor skill. This study agrees: brain scans tell less than simple birth-history questions when you want to predict thinking skill.
Chen et al. (2013) saw that stronger leg muscles forecast short-term motor gains. The new paper flips the lens: medical red flags at birth forecast long-term cognitive risk.
Why it matters
You can test IQ in teens with CP without timed hand tasks. Pick the motor-free subtests and you will not punish the child for slow writing. Expect a jagged profile: verbal tops, visual bottoms. Use the birth chart—motor level, birth size, seizures—to set realistic teaching plans instead of guessing.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: The most commonly used intelligence tests - the Wechsler Scales - do not provide standardised procedures for assessing children with motor impairment, and as a result, may underestimate the intelligence quotient (IQ) of young people with CP. AIMS: To characterise a motor-free cognitive profile of adolescents with CP using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fifth edition (WISC-V) and explore the influence of clinical factors on cognitive abilities. METHODS AND PROCEDURE: The WISC-V was used to assess cognitive abilities in 70 adolescents (M = 14 years 6 months, SD = 10 months). Sixty-six adolescents (Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) Level I, n = 26 ; II, n = 23; III, n = 15; IV, n = 1; V, n = 1) obtained either a Motor-free IQ or index score using the motor-free method. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: MFIQ and index scores fell below the normative data and rates of borderline and impaired cognitive abilities were significantly higher in the CP group. Scores showed an uneven cognitive profile with a relative strength in verbal abilities. Severity of motor impairment and small for gestational age (SGA) were associated with lower IQ scores. A history of seizures was related to lower verbal abilities. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Cognitive abilities of adolescents with CP are significantly below expectation compared to normative data. Severity of motor impairment, SGA, and seizures need to be recognised by health professionals as risk factors for cognitive impairment. A substantial proportion of adolescents showed borderline cognitive abilities, constituting a group with CP which are relatively neglected in the literature.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2021 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2021.103934