Sensory disorders in cerebral palsy: two-point discrimination.

Two-point discrimination (TPD) was measured on eight points of the upper extremities of 220 children with cerebral palsy aged between seven and 14 years. 46 had classical diplegia, 23 had mildly spastic diplegia (without adductor spasms), 86 had hemiplegia, 26 had generalized dyskinesia, 10 had right- and four had left-sided hemiathetosis and 25 had quadriplegia. TPD was decreased in all cases compared with normal controls: slightly more for the classical forms of diplegia and on the paretic side of those with hemiplegia, slightly less in athetoid children.

Disorders of memory of motor sequences in cerebral palsied children.

In 74 children (32 boys, 42 girls) between 7 and 14 years of age with different forms of cerebral palsy (mainly spastic ones) the motor memory was tested with a sequence of movements which had to be remembered at once, after 24 hours and after 5 days. The normal levels were determined by testing 21 healthy children matched as to age as control as (10 boys, 11 girls). Each exercise was evaluated separately as follows: the movement is performed correctly in the right sequence, 2 points; the movement is performed in a wrong sequence, but in the correct group of three exercises, 1 point; the sequence of movements is entirely wrong or the child does not perform the movements at all, 0 points.