5.5. SENSORY MODULATION IN CHILDREN WITH SPASTIC DIPLEGIA 5.5.1. Demographic distribution There were a unusually high number of spastic diplegic (36.61%) participants in this study in comparison to other African studies where the prevalence ranged from 4-14.5%.105-106,117 The spastic diplegic subtype presented with a high incidence of prematurity (53.49%) and LNBW (52.50%); consistent with the literature which reported a correlation between low birth weight and prematurity in spastic diplegia.98,104 Another contributing factor relevant in the SA context is the influence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), as well as HIV encephalopathy which is related to the diplegic subtype.142 In the sample, 28 participants (18.18%) were on antiretroviral medication or voluntarily disclosed their status in the background questionnaire. Twenty-seven of the 28 had spastic diplegia, indicating that 44.2% of the diplegic sample also had a diagnosis of HIV. …show more content…
Similarly, the prevalence of the active (29.51%) and passive (36.07%) strategies were low, with a preference for the passive regulatory strategy (figure 4.18). The low prevalence (less than 50%) of the passive pattern found in this study did not correlate with the literature, which indicated that children with spasticity are more likely to be passive.69 The passive strategy is comprised of both the registration and sensitivity patterns. The spastic diplegic subtype presented with a high prevalence of registration difficulties, but a low prevalence of sensitivity. The lower incidence of sensitivity patterns, therefore, influences the frequency of overall passive responses. The spastic diplegic subtype had the highest prevalence of registration patterns in comparison to the other subtypes, indicating that that do have some passive