Classification systems of communication for use in epidemiological surveillance of children with cerebral palsy.

Aim: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often experience communication difficulties. We aimed to identify a classification system for communication of children with CP suitable for epidemiological surveillance.

Method: Systems to classify the communication of children with CP were identified.

Clinical features of cerebral palsy in children with symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus infection.

Background: Human cytomegalovirus is the most common cause of vertically transmitted viral infection, affecting around 1% of liveborns. Infection is symptomatic in nearly 10% of infected children who are at higher risk of development of severe neurological disorders, including cerebral palsy.

Aims: To study the clinical profile of children with cerebral palsy caused by symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus infection in a multicenter study involving six countries from the Surveillance of Cerebral Palsy in Europe (SCPE) Network.

Development of The Viking Speech Scale to classify the speech of children with cerebral palsy.

Surveillance registers monitor the prevalence of cerebral palsy and the severity of resulting impairments across time and place. The motor disorders of cerebral palsy can affect children's speech production and limit their intelligibility. We describe the development of a scale to classify children's speech performance for use in cerebral palsy surveillance registers, and its reliability across raters and across time.

Gastrostomy tube feeding of children with cerebral palsy: variation across six European countries.

Aim: To compare the prevalence of gastrostomy tube feeding (GTF) of children with cerebral palsy (CP) in six European countries.

Method: Data on 1295 children (754 males, 541 females; mean age 5y 11mo, range 11y 2mo, min 6mo, max 11y 8mo) with CP born from 1999 to 2001 were collected from geographically defined areas in six European countries; four of the areas covered the whole country. Distribution of CP was unilateral 37%, bilateral 51%, dyskinetic 8%, and ataxic 4%.