ObjectiveTo analyze the characteristics of dysphagia in children with cerebral palsy and explore the relation with the gross motor function classification.MethodsThe children with cerebral palsy in our rehabilitation center from June 2009 to June 2010 were assessed by Dysphagia Disorders Survey(DDS), Oral Motor Assessment and Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) to explore the relationship between the dysphagia disorders and different gross motor levels.ResultsOf all 105 children with cerebral palsy, 21.9% were mild dysphagia, and 34.3% were moderate to severe dysphagia, resulting in a prevalence of dysphagia of 56.2%. DDS and oral motor scores were changed by GMFCS levels. The correlation coefficient were 0.767 and -0.504 between DDS, oral motor scores and GMFCS, 0.55 and 0.27 between dysphagia, oral motor disorder and the gross motor functions, respectively(P<0.01).ConclusionDysphagia was positively related to severity of motor impairment. Children in GMFCS levels Ⅳ～Ⅴ almost with problems in the pharyngeal and esophageal phases, apparently on the DDS, should be referred for appropriate clinical evaluation of swallowing function.

Objective To analyze the comorbidities and gross motor function classifications (GMFCs) of premature children with cerebral palsy (CP) in terms of neurological subtype and gestational age in search of some relationship. Methods Children with cerebral palsy treated at the Qingdao Children's Hospital from 2006 to mid2009 received intelligence capacity tests, ophthalmological consultations, language/speech tests, brainstem auditory evoked potential measurements, electroencephalograms and GMFC evaluations. All of the children were stratified according to neurological subtype, gestational age, comorbidities and gross motor function classification. Results Of all 258 children, spastic diplegic cerebral palsy predominated (183 case, 70.9% ). 124 cases (48.1% ) had visual disorders, 121 (46.9%) had language or speech disorders and 103 (39.9%) showed mental retardation. The frequencies of individual comorbidities were distributed disproportionately between the different neurologic subtypes.GMFC levels also differed with the different CP types. The GMFC levels of diplegics were significantly better than those of the other types. The distribution of comorbidities such as visual disorders, language or speech disorders, and mental retardation was not related to gestational age or type of CP. Conclusions There is some correlation between the neurological subtype, comorbidities and the GMFC levels. But there is no significant correlation between gestation age and the severity of CP.