Evaluation Of Prognostic Factors and Tools for Prediction of Ambulation in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Review

Cerebral Palsy is the leading cause for pediatric chronic disability and parents’ caregivers, neurologists and pediatric rehabilitation specialists would find it difficult to predict the prognosis of ambulation in children with cerebral palsy. The prediction of ambulation in children with cerebral palsy is of utmost importance still there is no definitive tool available to predict their ambulation. Gross motor skill achievements like age of achievement of neck holding as 9 months, sitting independently by the age of 2 years, crawling and all other milestones achievement by 30 months, along with postural reactions, infantile reflexes, cognitive, visual and hearing functions are proven to be the prognostic factors for prediction of ambulation. Even good upper extremity functions are positive prognostic factors for prediction of ambulation in cerebral palsy. Thai ambulation chart is also available which claims to guide the prognosis of ambulation in children with cerebral palsy. The reliability and validity of this tool is yet to be studied to use it as a prediction tool for ambulation in cerebral palsy. Further research is needed in this field to get an appropriate tool for prediction of ambulation in cerebral palsy which considers all the factors other than above mentioned factors.