Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

The aim of this research is to describe limitations in activity of daily living that children and youth with cerebral palsy encounter in different settings such as home, school, and community. Cerebral palsy is defined as a disorder of aberrant control of movement and posture. Cerebral palsy is the most common cause of severe physical disability in childhood. Half of the individuals with cerebral palsy use assistive devices such as braces, walkers, or wheelchairs to help develop or maintain mobility. With the recent approval of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and Youth (ICF-CY) by the World Health Assembly there is now a comprehensive and universally accepted framework to classify and describe functional characteristics of the developing child and the influence of environmental factors that surround the child. The ICF-CY provides a common and universal language for clinical, public health, and research applications to facilitate the documentation and measurement of health and disability in the paediatric population. The addition of functional diagnoses to medical diagnoses is particularly useful for encouraging treatments and interventions that improve the person's level of functioning. To date, there is little practical experience in the use of the ICF in the paediatric population. This study will identify main functional limitations, based on the ICF-CY, that characterize children and youth with cerebral palsy. This study may lead to recognition that there needs to be better support in the home, school and community for children and youth with cerebral palsy. In addition, this study will help plan interventions and treatments that improve the level of functioning of this population.