Children in Denmark with cerebral palsy rarely complete elementary school.

AIM

To investigate how children with cerebral palsy (CP) perform in the Danish school system and which factors are associated with school performance.

METHOD

This was a population-based cohort study including 463 126 children born from 1997 to 2003. Data were extracted from seven national registries. The study encompassed 818 children with CP (483 [59.0%] males, 335 [41.0%] females) and 417 731 without CP (214 535 [51.4%] males, 203 196 [48.6%] females). We evaluated two primary outcomes: not completing 10 years of elementary school, defined as attending fewer than eight final mandatory exams; and grade point averages (GPAs). Mann-Whitney U tests were used to analyse differences in GPAs and logistic regressions were used to calculate odds ratios (ORs).

RESULTS

Among children with and without CP, 62.6% and 12.4% did not complete elementary school respectively (OR = 11.85 [10.28-13.66]). Additionally, children with CP who attended all final exams achieved lower overall GPAs than children without CP (6.6 vs 7.3, p = 0.001). In children with CP, comorbidities, maternal education, severity of motor impairments, and intellectual deficits were associated with increased odds of not completing elementary school. Notably, one-third of children with CP with apparent normal intelligence did not complete school, despite special educational measures.

INTERPRETATION

Danish children with CP rarely complete elementary school despite initiatives for a more supportive educational system. The complexity of individual needs in children with CP may be challenging for an inclusive school environment.

WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS

Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have a high risk of not completing elementary school. Children with CP achieve lower overall grades than children without CP. Motor impairment, comorbidities, and maternal education are associated with poor school performance. Intellectual impairment is the most important predictor of poor school performance.