Investigation of cognitive functions in children with obstetric brachial plexus injury

The aim of this study is to investigate the cognitive and executive functions of children with Obstetric brachial plexus injury (OBPI). 23 children with brachial plexus injury and 22 healthy children aged 6-12 years were included in the study. Dynamic Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment (DOTCA-Ch) was used to assess cognitive functions of participants, Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory for Parents and Teachers (CHEXI) was used to assess executive functions of participants. The difference between cognitive and executive functions children with brachial plexus and healthy children was analyzed via Mann Whitney U Test. Cognitive and executive functions of healthy children were significantly higher than children with brachial plexus (p<0.05). All parameters of the cognitive functions of children with brachial plexus except orientation were found to be lower than those of healthy children (p<0.05). Working memory and inhibition skills, which are among the evaluated executive functions, of children with brachial plexus were found to be weaker than healthy children (p<0.05). Cognitive and executive functions resulting from the interaction of multiple sensorimotor processes are affected due to sensory involvement and cortical changes after OBPI. It is believed that person-centered, cognitive occupational therapy interventions will improve the cognitive functions of children with brachial plexus and contribute to their learning and academic skills.