Patricia Montgomery

Predicting Potential for Ambulation in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Walking is a motor milestone of great importance to most parents of children with cerebral palsy, and questions regarding ambulation are often posed to physical therapists. The purpose of this paper is to review studies of ambulation outcomes in children with cerebral palsy. The results of several studies suggest that persistence of primitive reflex patterns of movement at 18 to 24 months is predictive of nonambulation. Maintaining sitting is an example of a motor skill that, if achieved by a specific age, is correlated with a positive prognosis for independent or assisted ambulation. The theoretical, clinical, and research implications of predictors for ambulation are discussed, and criteria for describing levels of functional and non-functional ambulation for future studies are proposed.