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Communication ability and communication methods in children with cerebral palsy
Author(s) -
Kristoffersson Emma,
Dahlgren Sandberg Annika,
Holck Pernille
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
developmental medicine and child neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.658
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1469-8749
pISSN - 0012-1622
DOI - 10.1111/dmcn.14546
Subject(s) - cerebral palsy , gross motor function classification system , augmentative and alternative communication , gross motor skill , communication disorder , nonverbal communication , audiology , psychology , test (biology) , developmental psychology , augmentative , physical medicine and rehabilitation , medicine , motor skill , language disorder , cognition , neuroscience , psychiatry , paleontology , linguistics , philosophy , biology
Aim To investigate if communication ability and method were related to each other and to age, sex, gross motor function, or manual ability in children with cerebral palsy. Method This cross‐sectional study used data registered in the Swedish Cerebral Palsy Surveillance Program registry, involving 3000 children aged 0 to 18 years. Pearson’s χ 2 test and Spearman’s correlation were used to test associations between variables. Results Communication ability and method were related to each other and to age, gross motor function, and manual ability. Aided communication methods were more frequently used among older children. The more functional the communication was, the less use of unaided communication occurred. Different communication methods were used across all Communication Function Classification System (CFCS) levels. Speech was most common in more functional levels, used by 72% of the children . Forty‐five per cent were considered effective communicators in all environments. For classification of communication level and method, some recurring registration errors were made by the raters. Interpretation Some raters may need clarification on interpretations of CFCS instructions . Results indicate that children should be presented to aided augmentative and alternative communication and manual signs earlier and to a greater extent. What this paper adds Level of communicative ability varies depending on the primary method of communication used. Communicative ability and communication methods are related to age, and gross and fine motor ability. Different communication methods are found across all Communication Function Classification System levels.