Parent-Reported Fine Motor Function Limitations in Children with Cerebral Palsy atSaidu Group of Teaching Hospital, Swat: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a significant childhood disability and it is mostly linked with life-long challenges of fine motor skills, self-care skills, and functional independence. These problems may be compounded by insufficient access to rehabilitation services and assistive devices in low resource settings like Swat, Pakistan. There is need of study because limited local evidence on parent-reported functional performance is present in children with CP.
Methods: The analytical cross-sectional study was a quantitative study carried out in Saidu Group of Teaching Hospital, Swat. The convenience sampling was used to recruit a total of 249 children with clinically diagnosed cerebral palsy and their primary caregivers. The demographic and clinical information form and modified parent-reports Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory that evaluates self-care, mobility, and social function were used to collect data. The SPSS version 27 was used to analyze the data. The Chi-square test and descriptive statistics were used to summarize the results and establish a correlation.
Results: The mean age of children with CP was 4.20 + 2.26 years and the mean score for the PEDI was 49.65 + 21.52. In functional domains, it was found that almost one-third of children were independent, one-third needed help, and one-third were not able to perform daily tasks. The most dependent ones were fine motor and self-care tasks. It was also revealed that there were no statistically significant relationships between functional performance and CP subtype, distribution, age at diagnosis, comorbidities, treatment status, and assistive device use.
Conclusion: Children with cerebral palsy in Swat exhibit considerable functional limitations, particularly in fine motor and self-care activities, underscoring the need for accessible, targeted rehabilitation services.