Sensory Processing Disorders in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Objective: To evaluate sensory processing in children with CP using the Sensory Profile questionnaire and to compare results with the ones of children with typical development (TD).

Methods: We assessed sensory processing of 59 TD children and 43 CP children using the Sensory Profile, a standardized parent reporting measure that records children's responses to sensory events in daily life. Mann-Whitney test was used to compare the results of sensory processing evaluation among the groups. Bonferroni correction was applied.

Results: We found differences in sensory processing between groups in 16 out of the 23 categories evaluated in the Sensory Profile.

Conclusion: Our results pointed out to the existence of disturbances in the processing of sensory information in CP. Based on the importance of the sensory integration process for motor function, the presence of such important disturbances draw the attention to the implementation of sensory therapies which improve function in these children.