Walking drawings and walking ability in children with cerebral palsy.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate whether drawings of the self walking by children with cerebral palsy (CP) were associated with walking ability and illness perceptions.

METHOD

This was an exploratory study in 52 children with CP (M:F = 28:24), mean age 11.1 years (range 5-18), who were attending tertiary level outpatient clinics. Children were asked to draw a picture of themselves walking. Drawing size and content was used to investigate associations with clinical walk tests and children's own perceptions of their CP assessed using a CP version of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire.

RESULTS

Larger drawings of the self were associated with less distance traveled, higher emotional responses to CP, and lower perceptions of pain or discomfort, independent of age. A larger self-to-overall drawing height ratio was related to walking less distance. Drawings of the self confined within buildings and the absence of other figures were also associated with reduced walking ability.

CONCLUSION

Drawing size and content can reflect walking ability, as well as symptom perceptions and distress. Drawings may be useful for clinicians to use with children with cerebral palsy to aid discussion about their condition.