mahrokh ghahari; Aliyeh Daryabor; mino kalantari; ashkan irani; zahra Shafiee
Volume 12, Issue 2 , June 2025, , Pages 66-72
Abstract
Background: Attention and concentration disorders, alongside tone disorders and imbalance, are among the significant challenges faced by children with cerebral palsy (CP). This study ...
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Background: Attention and concentration disorders, alongside tone disorders and imbalance, are among the significant challenges faced by children with cerebral palsy (CP). This study investigated the relationship between attention and balance in children with CP.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included 15 children with hemiplegia (mean age: 8.8 ± 2 years) and 10 children with diplegia (mean age: 8.5 ± 1.43 years) recruited from occupational therapy clinics in Tehran, Iran. All participants were classified as level II on both the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) and the Manual Ability Classification System (MACS). Attention and balance were assessed using the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) and the Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS). Spearman's correlation coefficient was calculated to determine the relationship between attention and balance, with a significance threshold of α=0.05.
Results: The results showed no significant correlation between dynamic and static balance with attention (P > 0.05) in children with hemiplegia. However, in children with diplegia, there were significant correlations between dynamic balance and attention (P = 0.04), static balance and attention (P = 0.01), and total balance and attention (P = 0.02).
Conclusion: This study found a significant correlation between attention and balance in children with diplegic CP but not those with hemiplegic CP. Given that children with diplegia exhibited weaker dynamic and static balance compared to those with hemiplegia, their balance deficits appear to demand more significant attentional resources. Due to the small sample size, further research is necessary to validate these findings.
