Abstract

SANTOS, Leila Costa dos  and  BRITTO, Marselle Montanha Castro de. Executive functions in children with cerebral palsy: case report. Rev. psicopedag. [online]. 2014, vol.31, n.95, pp.178-187. ISSN 0103-8486.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine and analyze, through a great quantity of neuropsychological tests, changes in executive functions in two children with Cerebral Palsy. METHODS: Attention and memory were assessed with standardized neuropsychological measures in two children with CP, female, aged 9 and 11 years. The following tests were used: Boston Naming Test to evaluate comprehension of speech; Raven Colored Matrices and Columbia Mental Maturity Scale for obtaining the measure of intellective functioning; Corsi Blocks to measure visuospatial memory and working memory; TAVIS-3 for the visual attention and the Trail Making Test to verify cognitive flexibility and attention. RESULTS: The findings have shown similar deficits in executive function in both children with CP, observing the greatest impairment as visuospatial perception in support of attentional focus and motor control as it related to the neurological condition of the PC. Neuropsychological assessment showed deficits in executive functions as one of the most significant in the case of children with CP commitments. It is quite common to find cognitive deficits in most cases, however, few studies have defined specific areas of difficulty in these individuals. CONCLUSIONS: The relevance of this study can benefit a careful rehabilitation plan, since it enables a more detailed understanding of deficits in executive functions, since it is extremely difficult to assess the cognitive functioning of these children.

Keywords : Cerebral Palsy; Neuropsychology; Executive Functions.

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