The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children with cerebral palsy

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this study was to examine the sustainability of the treatment of children with cerebral palsy during the pandemic, the physical and psychosocial impact of the pandemic on children, and the fear of COVID-19 among parents. Method: The authors' questionnaire and the COVID-19 Fear Scale were completed by 350 parents who were reachable and willing to participate in the study. Results: According to the information given, we can conclude that 46 (21.9%) of 210 children who received education could not participate in online education. In addition, 123 (63.4%) of 194 children who received individual education and 108 (78.8%) of 137 children who received physiotherapy could not continue. According to family reports, 26.3% of children had worse physical development, 21.1% had worse sleep quality, 11.7% had worse linguistic skills, and 39.1% of children had higher levels of anxiety than before the pandemic. The mean COVID-19 Fear Scale score of the parents who stated that their child's physical development was worse compared to before the pandemic (18.23±5.63) was higher than that of the parents who stated that there was no change in their child's physical development (16.91±5.26) (p=0.031). The mean COVID-19 Fear Scale score of the parents who stated that their child's anxiety was higher than before the pandemic (18.02±5.49) was higher than the parents who stated that there was no change in their child's anxiety (16.81±5.28) (p=0.04). Conclusion: During the pandemic period, rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy was interrupted and children were affected physically and psychosocially. Family-centered approaches and telerehabilitation opportunities should be studied for future periods.