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Author ORCID Identifier(s)

0000-0002-8363-306X

Abstract

Introduction Cerebral palsy (CP) is characterized by a group of permanent movement and posture disorders resulting from nonprogressive disturbances in the developing fetal or infant brain. CP is a chronic condition affecting approximately 1.2–2.5 per 1000 school-aged children, often accompanied by comorbidities such as visual, auditory, and feeding impairments, delayed language development, and epilepsy. These related challenges can markedly reduce a child’s quality of life (QoL), particularly when compounded by social and environmental limitations. Despite the importance of understanding QoL outcomes in this population, limited region-specific data exist. Understanding domain-specific QoL can guide targeted rehabilitation planning.

Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted at a special school in North India. Thirteen children aged 4–12 years diagnosed with CP participated in the study based on defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Primary carers completed the CerebralPalsy Quality of Life Questionnaire for Children (Parent Proxy version) after providing informed consent. This questionnaire assesses seven QoL domains: social well-being and acceptance, feelings about functioning, participation and physical health, emotional well-being and self-esteem, access to services, pain and impact of disability, and family health. Scores were normal- ized to a 0–100 scale. Descriptive statistics were calculated to assess differences by age and gender.

Results The mean age of participants was 9.92 ± 1.72 years, with 69.2% being male. The domain scores were highest in social well-being and acceptance (71.02 ± 10.80) and emotional well-being (68.33 ± 17.12), whereas the lowest scores were found in participation and physical health (52.26 ± 16.57) and family health (68.75 ± 20.39). Male children reported higher QoL in most domains, whereas female participants reported higher scores in family health and access to services. The small sample size limited statistical significance across demographic subgroups.

Conclusion Children with CP showed better QoL in social and emotional domains but lower scores in physical participation and family health. These findings limit the importance of inclusive education and family-centered interventions. Larger and more varied samples are needed in future research to enhance the generalizability of results. Integration of rehabilitation services tailored to family-centered care could play a major role in improving QoL outcomes.

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