Use of the Child Engagement in Daily Life and Ease of Caregiving for Children to Evaluate Change in Young Children with Cerebral Palsy

ABSTRACT Aims: Participation in family and recreational activities, self-care, and parent ease of caregiving are important outcomes for young children with cerebral palsy (CP). The aim of this study was to examine use of the Child Engagement in Daily Life and the Ease of Caregiving for Children to measure change over time. Methods: A convenience sample of 387 parents of young children with CP (18 months to 5 years of age) completed the measures twice, a mean of 12.7 months apart. Results: For the Child Engagement in Daily Life, parents of children in Gross Motor Function Classification System level I and levels II-III reported more change for the Self-care domain (medium effect) than the Family and Recreational Activities domain (small effect) and the Ease of Caregiving for Children (small effect). The change reported by parents of children in levels IV-V on all three measures was less than the criterion for a small effect. Minimal detectable change for each measure varied from 12.1 to 14.1, out of a total possible score of 100. Conclusion: Further research is recommended to determine responsiveness to change following intervention.