Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often exhibit mental health problems, such as depressive symptoms. The purpose of this study was to describe the self-rated depressive symptoms in children with and without CP and to investigate the associated predictors. Participants included 24 children with CP and 33 typically developing (TD) children. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Birleson Depression Self-Rating Scale for Children. Parents of the participants completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Severity of self-rated depressive symptoms was higher in children with CP than that in TD children. Particularly, decline in activities and enjoyment was identified as a contributor to the increased severity of depressive symptoms. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that the greater severity of depressive symptoms in children with CP was mediated by hyperactivity/inattention and peer problems. Our study suggests that it is imperative to provide opportunities to participate in social activities from an early age.

Background Analysis of the errors in the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM) has been previously performed for children with intellectual disabilities but has not been investigated for those with cerebral palsy (CP). This study aimed to investigate whether the types and positions of errors made by individuals with CP differed from those made by typically developing (TD) controls. Methods Forty‐five participants with CP aged 4–18 years and 30 TD children aged 3–9 years underwent RCPM testing. We first compared the RCPM performance and error characteristics between the groups and then examined the association between RCPM and the severity of CP and receptive vocabulary in the CP group. Results The results showed that while mean total scores in the two groups were comparable, the types and positions of errors made by individuals with CP differed from those of TD controls. The development of non‐verbal intelligence in children with CP increased with age; when controlling for age, non‐verbal intelligence was significantly correlated with all three functional levels of CP severity and receptive vocabulary. Conclusions This study provides valuable insights into the problem‐solving strategies employed by children with CP.

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