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Measuring functional status in Thai children with disabilities
Jithathai Jongjit1, Ladda Komsopapong, Waree Chira-Adisai
1Division of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Insights
The Functional Independence Measure for children (WeeFIM) effectively measures functional abilities in Thai children with disabilities, showing lower scores compared to typically developing peers. Results indicate WeeFIM is a reliable tool for assessing childhood disability in Thailand.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Rehabilitation
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Disability Assessment
Background:
- Functional assessment is crucial for children with disabilities.
- Understanding functional independence in diverse populations is essential.
- The Functional Independence Measure for children (WeeFIM) is a widely used tool.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the Functional Independence Measure for children (WeeFIM) in Thai children.
- To compare functional abilities between typically developing Thai children and those with disabilities.
- To establish the validity of WeeFIM for assessing disability in Thailand.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 157 nondisabled children and 80 children with cerebral palsy in Thailand participated.
- The Functional Independence Measure for children (WeeFIM) was administered to assess self-care, sphincter control, transfers, locomotion, communication, and social cognition.
- Children's ages ranged from 6 to 100 months.
Main Results:
- Children with disabilities scored significantly lower on all WeeFIM domains compared to nondisabled peers (p<0.05).
- Total WeeFIM scores, motor scores, and cognitive subscores demonstrated a positive correlation with age.
- Cross-cultural comparisons with American and Japanese data revealed similar trends in WeeFIM scores and age correlations.
Conclusions:
- The Functional Independence Measure for children (WeeFIM) is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing functional independence in Thai children.
- WeeFIM can be effectively utilized as a disability-measuring tool within the Thai pediatric population.
- The study supports the cross-cultural applicability of the WeeFIM for children's functional assessment.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to compare normal children with age-appropriate functional abilities and children with identified disabilities in Thailand.
Subjects And Method:
Data were collected for 157 nondisabled children and 80 children with cerebral palsy. Their ages ranged from 6 to 100 months. The Functional Independence Measure for children (WeeFIM) is an instrument used to assess independence in self-care, sphincter control, transfers, locomotion, communication, and social cognition.
Results:
The WeeFIM of the disabilities scored consistently lower in all areas than those of the nondisabled children (p<0.05). Total score, motor score, and cognitive subscores increased with age. When data from Thai children was compared with that from American and Japanese children, total WeeFIM mean scores for each age group and Pearson's correlation coefficients between each age group and total WeeFIM scores showed similar trends.
Conclusion:
WeeFIM can be used as a disability-measuring instrument for Thai children.