Sensory modulation patterns in children with Cerebral Palsy : a comparative-descriptive study

Abstract

Cerebral palsy (CP) causes complex motor and sensory impairments. The motor impairments are well documented in the literature. More recently, researchers have focused on the sensory impairments associated with CP. Sensory modulation disorders (SMD) are identified when children are unable to adequately regulate and grade their responses to sensory inputs to such an extent that it significantly impairs their ability to participate in various areas of occupation. Although there is evidence that children with CP present with SMD, there is no evidence that different types of CP present with different sensory modulation patterns (SMP). The Sensory Profile 2, a well-recognised, standardised questionnaire, was completed by 154 parents/guardians of learners diagnosed with CP, aged between 5.0 to 14.11 years old, in order to (i) determine the predominant SMP in children with CP and (ii) determine whether significant differences existed between the different subtypes of CP. The registration (72.73%) and avoiding (53.90%) patterns were the most prevalent in the CP group. The CP group had a high prevalence of body position (77.92%), movement (56.49%), visual processing (53.25%), and social-emotional (55.84%) difficulties. There was a significant difference between the mean score in the body position processing section (p=0.000) between the ataxic (n=21), dyskinetic (n=21), spastic diplegic (n=61), and spastic hemiplegic (n=49) subtypes. Furthermore, some proportional differences existed between some subtypes. The ataxic and dyskinetic subtypes had a higher percentage of participants scoring out of the norm, reflecting more SMD than the other subtypes. Touch processing difficulties were common in the spastic hemiplegic subtype, which is consistent with clinical observations. The spastic diplegic subtype presented with fewer SMD than the other subtypes. The study confirmed the presence of SMD in children with CP and provided some statistical evidence that different types of CP present with different SMP. These findings will assist occupational therapists to assess and treat these impairments more effectively.