Functional repertoire of children with cerebral palsy at home and clinical contexts: report of caregivers and professionals.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between functional profile of children with cerebral palsy at home and at the clinical contexts in the areas of self-care, mobility and social function, respectively reported by caregivers and rehabilitation professionals. Participants were 50 children, 50 caregivers and 25 professionals, physical therapists and occupational therapists, employed in health institutions from the interior of the state of São Paulo. The instrumentation included the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory, an identification form of the participants and the System to Classify Gross Motor Function. It was used the Spearman correlation test. A significant association with correlation coefficients of large magnitude was found between the functional profile of children in the clinical and home contexts, especially in functional abilities and caregiver assistance; weaker association was observed in the environmental modifications used. Results revealed coherence in functional repertoire of children in booth contexts. The assistance provided by caregivers and professionals is relatively similar, however the contexts are structured to offer specific modifications, that give support to the functional performance of these children in their routines.