Are perceptual disorder signs in diplegic cerebral palsied children stable over time? A retrospective cohort analysis.

Background: A group of diplegic cerebral palsied (CP) children presents six precise signs that can be easily observed during clinical examinations, physiotherapy sessions and everyday activities. These signs are: startle reaction, upper limbs in startle position, averted-eye gaze, grimaces, eye blinking and posture freezing.

Methods: In a population of 32 diplegic CP children (aged 1-8 years) perceptual signs were retrospectively identified through videos to verify their stability in the same child over time.

Functional reaching discloses perceptive impairment in diplegic children with cerebral palsy.

The currently accepted definition classifies Cerebral Palsy (CP) as a mere posture and movement disorder. Conversely, some authors have recently associated the presence of several motor dysfunctions exhibited by diplegic children with CP to an impairment in the perceptive system. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of the Perceptive Impairment (PI) on motor control and to appraise if the PI can be revealed by a reaching task.