Consensus Planning Toward a Community-Based Approach to Promote Physical Activity in Youth with Cerebral Palsy.

Aims: To engage researchers and knowledge-users in six Ontario communities in knowledge translation initiatives to identify community-informed elements to guide the development of an optimal physical activity program for youth with cerebral palsy (CP) and to support research efforts.

Methods: The project included three iterative steps, i.e.

Becoming and staying physically active in adolescents with cerebral palsy: protocol of a qualitative study of facilitators and barriers to physical activity.

Background: Adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) show a reduced physical activity (PA). Currently there are no interventions for adolescents with CP in this critical life phase that optimise and maintain the individuals' physical activity in the long term. To develop such a program it is important to fully understand the factors that influence physical activity behaviours in adolescents with CP.

Development of the Gross Motor Function Classification System for cerebral palsy.

The Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) for cerebral palsy has been widely used internationally for clinical, research, and administrative purposes. This paper recounts the ideas and work behind the creation of the GMFCS, reports on the lessons learned, and identifies some philosophical challenges inherent in trying to develop an ordered, valid, and consistent system to describe function in children and adolescents with developmental differences. It is hoped that these ideas will be useful to others who choose to expand the field with additional systems in other areas of childhood neurodisability.

Quality of life and health-related quality of life of adolescents with cerebral palsy.

This study assessed quality of life (QOL) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of 203 adolescents with cerebral palsy (111 males, 92 females; mean age 16y [SD 1y 9mo]). Participants were classified using the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), as Level I (n=60), Level II (n=33), Level III (n=28), Level IV (n=50), or Level V (n=32). QOL was assessed by self (66.

Performance of physical activities by adolescents with cerebral palsy.

Background And Purpose: Mobility and self-care are important considerations for successful transition of adolescents with cerebral palsy to adulthood. The purpose of this study was to characterize performance of physical activities from the perspective of adolescents themselves.

Subjects: The subjects were 156 adolescents with cerebral palsy, 11.

Limb distribution, motor impairment, and functional classification of cerebral palsy.

This study explored the relationships between the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), limb distribution, and type of motor impairment. Data used were collected in the Ontario Motor Growth study, a longitudinal cohort study with a population-based sample of children with cerebral palsy (CP) in Canada (n=657; age 1 to 13 years at study onset). The majority (87.

Reliability of family report for the Gross Motor Function Classification System.

The aim of this study was to determine the reliability of family reports for the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), a condition-specific discriminative measure of severity of movement disability for children with cerebral palsy (CP). We conducted a cross-sectional survey using a short questionnaire with families of children with CP for whom we already had ratings of GMFCS level made by a health professional. We assessed the potentially confounding effect of whether the family had discussed the GMFCS with a professional.

Prognosis for gross motor function in cerebral palsy: creation of motor development curves.

Context: Lack of a valid classification of severity of cerebral palsy and the absence of longitudinal data on which to base an opinion have made it difficult to consider prognostic issues accurately.

Objective: To describe patterns of gross motor development of children with cerebral palsy by severity, using longitudinal observations, as a basis for prognostic counseling with parents and for planning clinical management.

Design: Longitudinal cohort study of children with cerebral palsy, stratified by age and severity of motor function and observed serially for up to 4 years during the period from 1996 to 2001.