Intelligence assessments for children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review

Aim Cerebral palsy ( CP ) is defined as a primary disorder of posture and movement; however, approximately 45% of children with CP also have an intellectual impairment. Prevalence estimates are limited by a lack of guidelines for intelligence testing. This systematic review aims to identify and examine intelligence assessments for children with CP . Method Electronic databases ( P ub M ed, P syc INFO , W eb of S cience, CINAHL , EMBASE , and ERIC ) were searched to identify assessments that (1) measured intellectual function, (2) in children aged 4 to 18 years, (3) with CP , and (4) with psychometrics available. Results Searches yielded 48 assessments, of which nine provided psychometric data for children with CP . The included tests were the C olumbia M ental M aturity S cale, the L eiter I nternational P erformance S cale, the P eabody P icture V ocabulary T est, the P ictorial T est of I ntelligence, the R aven's C oloured P rogressive M atrices, the S tanford– B inet I ntelligence S cales, the W echsler A dult I ntelligence S cale, the W echsler I ntelligence S cale for C hildren, and the W echsler P reschool and P rimary S cale of I ntelligence. Interpretation Intelligence assessments in children with CP lack reliability data, consensus regarding validity data, and population‐specific norms. Research is required to establish psychometrics for children with CP . For children with higher motor involvement and/or communication and/or visual impairments, multiple options are required to assess intelligence appropriately.