In terms of the wider group of children with CP with
communication disorders, little is known about which aspects of
activity and participation are most relevant to this subgroup.
Communication difficulty has been associated with participation
in fewer formal (structured/pre-planned) activities [10]. In
contrast, better communication skills have been linked to greater
diversity in informal (spontaneous) activities [11] and fewer
physical activities (possibly due to increased involvement in
social activities) [12]. Fauconnier et al. [13] have provided the
largest study (n ¼ 818) to date examining the impact of communication
impairment on participation in children with CP. Authors
found that communication impairment was associated with
reduced participation on 8 of the 11 domains of the Assessment
of Life Habits. Specific domains affected included health hygiene,
communication (i.e. communicative participation), home life,
mobility, responsibilities, relationships, school and recreation.
Thus, communication disorders in this population can have far
reaching impacts.