How are Gross Motor Functions, Manual Abilities, and Cognitive Functions related to the Quality of Life in Children with Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common type of permanent movement and postural disorder in children leading to contractures, deformities, and activity limitations. Quality of life is considered as an outcome variable to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions for children with CP. In this study, we aimed to examine how the quality of life is related to gross motor functions, manual abilities, and cognitive functions in children with CP. This research was a cross-sectional study on 200 children with CP aged 4-12 years selected through non-probability sampling. Quality of life, gross motor ability, hand function, and cognitive level were assessed using Cerebral Palsy Quality of Life Questionnaire (CPQOL), Gross Motor Function Classification System scale (GMFCS), Manual abilities Classification System Scales (MACS) and SPARCLE (Study of Participation of Children with Cerebral Palsy Living in Europe) scale. The results demonstrated that the CPQOL subscales was significantly correlated with the gross motor functioning (reference: GMFCS level one, p <0.05), manual ability (reference: MACS level one, p <0.05) and cognitive level in these children (reference: cognitive level >70, p <0.05). A poor performance child with CP has the potential to report poor QOL and it seems that a child with high level of performance has the potential to report better QOL. This needs more evidence for elaboration.