Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 7, 2026
Measuring the Functional Abilities of Children Aged 3-6 Years Old with Observational Methods and Computer Tools
Published on: June 20, 2020
The functional reach test in 3- to 5-year-old children without disabilities
Rosemary A Norris1, Elaine Wilder, Jennifer Norton
1Program in Physical Therapy, Edward and Margaret Doisy College of Health Sciences, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri 63104, USA. norrisra@slu.edu
Purpose:
The purposes of this study were to describe normal values and variability of the Functional Reach Test (FRT) scores in young children and to examine the relationship between anthropometric measures and FRT scores.
Methods:
One hundred twenty-one children aged 3 to 5 years without known disabilities participated in this study. The mean of three successful FRT trials was analyzed.
Results:
Three-year-old children reached 11.4 +/- 2.6 cm (mean +/- SD), 4-year-old children 13.6 +/- 3.0 cm, and 5-year-old children 15.7 +/- 4.4 cm. The 95% confidence intervals for the mean and the cutoff reach value for 2 standard deviations below the mean are reported. Weight was the only significant anthropometric measure that predicted FR (R(2) = 0.34).
Conclusion:
The FRT is a feasible test to examine the balance of 4- to 5-year-old children and should be used with caution for 3-year-old children.
