Perfil cognitivo, déficits motores e influência dos facilitadores para reabilitação de crianças com disfunções neurológicas Cognitive profile, motor deficits and influence of facilitators for rehabilitation of children with neurological dysfunction

Objective: To investigate whether healthy children and adolescents suffering from neurological diseases can be grouped into distinct and homogeneous groups using criteria such as cognitive performance, motor functioning and parents’ perceptions about the rehabilitation facilitators. Methods: Sample was comprised by 15 healthy children and 43 patients (28 with cerebral palsy and 15 with stroke (n=15), aged from five to 18 years old. The Environment Factors Assessment related to the Children Neurologic Rehabilitation (EFACN) was used to assess parents’ perception about the rehabilitation facilitators. Cognitive impairment was assessed using the Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE), adapted for this age, and the motor impairment was clinically evaluated. Cluster analysis and one way ANOVA were conducted to compare the results.