Dysperceptive Forms

Abstract

In over thirty years of clinical observation of cerebral palsied (CP) children, especially among premature babies with bilateral motor damage, we have repeatedly found a group of patients with a unique combination of clinical characteristics which, we believe, could represent a specific group within the CP categorization. For convenience, we have termed them “dysperceptive” and we have been studying their behavior in a fairly large group of patients in order to see if some phenomena, unmistakably observed in single cases, were recognizable, also in different degrees, in larger groups. We have maintained the term “perceptual disturbance or dysperception” for the first and most interesting hypothesis that the errors performed by these children could happen during the collection, interpretation, and re-elaboration of information, especially of “the sense of movement”, even if other fascinating theories can be found especially in the field of psychology. These complex behaviors, for example fear, can be observed during clinical examination or physiotherapeutic treatments. In addition, parents and older children often describe some specific situations, which are recurrent and typical, that take place in everyday life in different settings (at school, on holiday, with friends, etc.), often underlining the limitations produced by these phenomena regarding motor independence and quality of life. These signs can be observed in CP children with diverse motor damage (diplegia, tetraplegia, but not hemiplegia) and at different development levels. In order to explore consistency and recurrence of the more important or frequent dysperceptive signs, describe them in detail and collect evidence by suitable instruments, we have been and are still employing video recording sessions (natural history of these signs).