This pilot study explored the functional skills in 21 young children with activity limitations caused by a variety of brain complications sustained prenatal or perinatal. The Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) was used for this purpose. Scores were correlated with the Family Functioning Style Scale (FFSS). The children appeared to have many functional limitations in the domains of self-care, mobility, and social function, and extensive assistance was required, taxing the family strengths. This was especially the case in families with a child having cognitive difficulties (also termed learning disability). The results also suggest that needs for assistance in social functions were difficult for caregivers to recognize when the children's overall cognitive level was in the normal range.
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