Environmental barriers to social participation of children with cerebral palsy in Tehran

Objectives: Cerebral palsy is the most common type of permanent movement and posture disorder in children leading to activity limitations. Children's participation is influenced by their functional ability, skills, interests, and environmental factors. The objective of the study was to describe parent perception of environmental barriers to participation of children with cerebral palsy. Method: Secondary data analysis of the study of psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors for use with children with cerebral palsy. The questionnaire was administered to a sample of convenience of 75 parents of children with cerebral palsy aged between 5 and 12 years. Results: Barriers to participation most commonly reported by parents were in the services and assistance subscale and the policies subscale of the measure. Also, parents reported the greatest barriers encountered by their children were availability of transportation and availability of education and training. Discussion: Findings from this study indicate the presence of multiple environmental barriers to participation of children with cerebral palsy. Enhancing participation of children with cerebral palsy by altering barriers and increasing facilitators requires further research concerning these factors. This study suggested that people with lower function in gross motor, manual ability, as well as cognition require further support to participate in social activities