Skills for Independence for Children with Cerebral Palsy: a comparative longitudinal study |
| |
| Authors: | Jane Jung‐Ae Hur |
| |
| Institution: | School of Psychology , The University of Birmingham , P. O. Box 363, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK |
| |
| Abstract: | Thirty‐six children with cerebral palsy, aged 3.5 to 4.5 years were compared on their skills for independence. Of the 36 boys and girls, 19 children were enrolled in a Conductive Education Program in Birmingham and 17 were enrolled in British special education programs in the Greater Manchester area. Skills for independence were measured with the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales via teachers’ responses, once a year on three occasions. Parents were interviewed using the Developmental Profile 2, once a year on three occasions. The results of two‐way ANOVA with one repeated measure on both teachers’ and parents’ responses indicate that there was no significant difference between the two groups in their skills for independence. However, both groups performed significantly better as they were getting older. Despite the strong emphasis on independence in Conductive Education, the children's level of independence was no different from their counterparts. Thus, the claim for the effectiveness of Conductive Education is not supported by the study. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
|
|
