The factor of sensory processing that affect on the motor and process skill of children with cerebral palsy

This study was conducted to identify sensory processing factors that affect motor and process skills of children with cerebral palsy. A total of 36 children with cerebral palsy who attended at the J pediatric development center and the N rehabilitation hospital in Seoul participated. Pearson's correlation coefficients were used to test the relationship between motor skills, process skills and sensory processing abilities of children. Moreover, hierarchical multiple regression was used to identify the sensory processing factors influencing motor and process skills. Motor skills of children with cerebral palsy were correlated with auditory filtering, low energy/weakness, and visual/auditory sensitivity of sensory processing items, whereas process skills were correlated with tactile sensitivity and taste/smell sensitivity. The hierarchical regression model for motor skills revealed movement sensitivity, auditory filtering, and low energy/weakness as significant factors influencing sensory processing items. However, no factors were shown to influence process skills. The results of this study will be useful as a basic resource for rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy. However, further studies evaluating a larger population should be conducted to verify the results presented herein.