Cerebral Palsy: Correlation of Risk Factors and Functional Performance Using the Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM)

Abstract

We studied the risk factors affecting the functional status of cerebral palsy. A cross-sectional study of 73 children with cerebral palsy was conducted with the Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM), which assesses functional skills in the domains of self-care, mobility, and cognition. The mean total Functional Independence Measure for Children quotient was 67.5%. The mean subquotients for self-care, mobility, and cognition were 68.3%, 62.7%, and 69.4%, respectively. The risk factors related to the degree of functional dependency were (1) mental retardation ( P = .030), (2) epilepsy ( P = .005), (3) type of cerebral palsy ( P < .001), and (4) severity of cerebral palsy using the Gross Motor Function Classification System ( P < .001) (using univariate analysis). However, when using multivariate analysis, only epilepsy ( P = .02) and severity status according to the Gross Motor Function Classification System ( P < .001) were significantly related. When the etiology was analyzed, only prematurity was significantly associated with better Functional Independence Measure for Children scores using both univariate ( P = .022) and multivariate ( P = .007) analyses. The functional status of children with cerebral palsy depends on the severity and the presence of epilepsy. Despite impairment, we found that most children with cerebral palsy could achieve functional independence. ( J Child Neurol 2004;19:887—893).