Understanding order of movement in youngsters with cerebral palsy.

A theoretical controversy exists over the role of early physical experience and motor activity in cognitive development. The purpose of this study was to contribute information to help clarify this relationship by comparing the understanding of order of movement of 30 nonambulatory youngsters with cerebral palsy and 30 nonhandicapped youngsters. Half were boys; half girls; equal numbers were in three age groups of 4 to 5 yr., 7 to 8 yr., and 10 to 11 yr. The order of movement task was designed by Piaget to describe the child's understanding of movement. Statistical analyses showed that youngsters with cerebral palsy were significantly delayed in their understanding of order of movement. These results indicated that the children's physical handicap interfered with their cognitive development.