Comparing visual perceptual skills among 8 to 10-year-old strabismal/non-strabismal cerebral palsy children

Most aspects of development are dependent or guided by visual system. Defect of visual perception can cause secondary mental retardation in cerebral palsy children with normal intelligence. So, identifying the effective factors on visual perceptual skills and early treatment of them in these children can prevent learning disorders, slowing the treatment process and secondary problems. This study was designed to compare the effect of chronological age, strabismus and sex factors on visual perceptual quotient. In this cross-sectional study, 120 spastic cerebral palsy children with equal numbers of strabismal/non-strabismal disorder (age 8-10 years) were randomly selected from exceptional schools of educational departments and rehabilitation clinics of Tehran and were evaluated with the test of visual perceptual skill-revised (TVPS-R). The results showed that the scores of visual perceptual quotient (P<0.0001) and visual perceptual age were significantly different among 8 to 10 years old children (P<0.0001). There was no significant difference in visual perceptual quotient between two sexes (P=0.76) and that non-strabismal children had greater visual perceptual quotient compared to strabismal one (P<0.0001). It can be concluded that age and strabismus have a significant effect on visual perceptual quotient, while this is not the case on sex.