Validity and reliability of a pediatric reach test

Area of Science:

• Pediatric physical therapy
• Motor control in children
• Biomedical engineering

Background:

• Assessing balance and reach is crucial for pediatric physical therapy.
• Existing tests may not adequately capture the functional reach capabilities of children.
• A validated and reliable tool is needed for pediatric balance assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel Pediatric Reach Test (PRT).
• To evaluate the validity and reliability of the PRT in pediatric populations.
• To establish the PRT as a useful clinical assessment tool.

Main Methods:

• Modified the Functional Reach Test to include forward and side reaching in sitting and standing positions.
• Assessed 19 typically developing children using the standing PRT and laboratory balance tests.
• Evaluated test-retest and inter-tester reliability of the PRT in 10 children with cerebral palsy.

Main Results:

• The standing PRT demonstrated moderate-to-high correlations with laboratory measures of limits of stability, supporting concurrent validity.
• High correlations were found between the standing PRT and measures of quiet stance steadiness and age, supporting construct validity.
• Strong correlations were observed between total PRT scores and Gross Motor Function Classification System levels in children with cerebral palsy.
• Test-retest and inter-tester reliability for the PRT were found to be good to excellent.

Conclusions:

• The Pediatric Reach Test (PRT) is a simple, valid, and reliable measurement tool.
• The PRT shows significant potential for clinical application in assessing children.
• Further research can explore the PRT's utility across diverse pediatric conditions.