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Background: Family empowerment in families of young children with cerebral palsy (CP) is an important consideration because the first few years of life can be overwhelming for parents. The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between family empowerment, fine motor (FM), gross motor (GM) and cognitive development in children with CP who were under 3 years of age. Methods: Forty‐one children with a mean age of 23.8 months participated in this study. The Family Empowerment Scale (FES) was completed by the participants' parents, whereas the FM, GM and cognitive subscales of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development Third edition (B‐III) were administered by physical therapists. Results: Statistically significant positive correlations were found between the FES total and B‐III raw scores for FM, GM and cognitive subscales with coefficients ranging from 0.35 to 0.41. Significant relationships were also found between the FES Community subscale and the B‐III FM, GM and cognitive subscales. Conclusions: This study provides evidence of a relationship between family empowerment and FM, GM and cognitive abilities in young children with CP, with a greater severity of impairments related to lower levels of caregiver empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common cause of motor disability in children. A concept to consider in order to meet the needs of children with CP and their families is family empowerment. Family empowerment can be defined as the process by which families acquire the skills, knowledge and resources to allow them to gain control and improve the quality of their lives. The relationship between gross motor function and family empowerment may be important because children with CP vary so widely in their ability to perform motor skills, which may affect their family's levels of empowerment. The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between the Family Empowerment Scale (FES) and Gross Motor Function Measure‐66 (GMFM‐66) in children with CP who were under 3 years of age. Methods: Forty‐one children with a mean age of 23.8 months participated in this study. The FES was completed by the participants' parents or regular caregivers and includes a total score and subscales of empowerment in the family, in service situations and in community/political environments. The GMFM‐66 was administered by a physical therapist and consists of a total score of gross motor function (GMFM‐66) and subscores for Dimension B (sitting), Dimension C (crawling and kneeling), Dimension D (standing) and Dimension E (walking, running and jumping). Results: Statistically significant positive correlations were found between the FES total and GMFM (total score and Dimensions B–E) with coefficients varying from 0.43–0.62. Significant relationships were also found between most subscales of the FES and the GMFM‐66. Conclusions: This study provides evidence of a relationship between family empowerment and gross motor function in young children with CP and suggests that caregivers of children with higher gross motor function report higher levels of self‐efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]