Abstract
The change of gross motor function level using the Simple Motor Test for Cerebral Palsy (SMTCP) in children with cerebral motor disorders was investigated in 117 inpatients hospitalized together with their mothers and 277 outpatients at 12 hospitals and homes for physically handicapped children. A one-level improvement was observed mostly in the inpatient group hospitalized together with their mothers, indicating that reliable improvement can be expected by attentive and intensive care even in patients with advanced cerebral palsy. Although, depending on disease type and its severity, there are some variations in the ease of improvement in the gross motor function level, it is important to design a reasonable training program for elevating locomotion activity by 1 or 2 grades from the level of grade “0: not able”. On the other hand, aggravated cases were more frequently observed in the outpatient cerebral palsy group and less in the inpatient group. Necessary treatment for the aggravated outpatient group included attentive care giving appropriate instructions for daily achievable training and grasping the situation of every day living. Also, depending on the circumstances of the patients and their parents, an increased frequency of outpatient training or treatment with hospitalized intensive training sessions is considered necessary.
