Executive Function, Attention and Autism Symptomatology in School-Aged Children with Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

Objective: Children diagnosed with cerebral palsy have been reported to be at increased risk of executive function deficits and neurodevelopmental disorders. This population-based cohort study aimed to assess executive function, attention, behaviour, and autism symptomatology in school-aged children with CP, using parent-report measures that can provide insight into everyday functioning in these neurodevelopmental domains. Methods: 74 participants (male n = 51) mean age 9 years 9 months, SD 1 year 1.2 months (range 8 years 0 months to 12 years 11 months), GMFCS I = 45 (60.8%), II = 17 (23%), III = 8 (10.8%), and IV = 4 (5.4%), were assessed on measures of attention and behaviour (Conners-3), executive function (BRIEF), and autism symptomatology (AQ10-Child). Analysis was via one-sample t-tests and MANCOVAs. Results: Participants’ scores were elevated in comparison to the general population in all domains, while 29.1% of participants scored above the cut-off level on an autism symptomatology screener. Greatest impairment was reported for working memory (M = 60.7, SD = 10.0, t(72) = 9.2, p < .001), peer relations (M = 72.7, SD = 16.2, t(73) = 12.0, p < .001), and inattention subscales (M = 66.3, SD = 12.5, t(73) = 11.2, p < .001). No statistically significant differences were found for different GMFCS levels on domains of executive functioning. A statistically significant difference was found between GMFCS levels for inattention F(3, 71) = 3.83, p = .013, partial η2 = 0.162, with most elevated scores associated with GMFCS level II (M = 74.1, SD = 14.2). Conclusion: EF, attention and behavioural difficulties, and autism symptomatology are commonly reported in school-aged children with CP. Screening for these comorbidities using ratings scales will assist with early diagnosis and targeted intervention.

Touch may reduce cognitive load during assisted typing by individuals with developmental disabilities

“…It is worth noting again that EF deficits occur in a range of DD ( Pennington and Ozonoff, 1996 ; Daunhauer and Fidler, 2013 ; Demetriou et al, 2018 ), but their etiology may be different in conditions such as Fragile X, Cerebral Palsy and Williams syndrome ( Pennington and Ozonoff, 1996 ; Temple and Sanfilippo, 2003 ; Lanfranchi et al, 2010 ; Weierink et al, 2013 ; Hessl et al, 2019 ; Wotherspoon et al, 2023 ). In the case of the ASD, EF deficits have been linked to atypical network connectivity between the prefrontal and other cortical regions ( Nomi and Uddin, 2015 ), or to dysfunctional coordination between the frontal lobe and the rest of the brain ( Hill, 2004 ).…”