Development and evidence of validity for the Children's Hand-use Experience Questionnaire (CHEQ)

To describe the development of the Children's Hand-use Experience Questionnaire (CHEQ), and investigate the evidence of its validity based on test content and internal structure of the three scales in it.

The selection of items and questions was based on a literature review, expert opinion, and interviews with families. Data on the final questionnaire were collected from 86 children and adolescents (42 males, 44 females) aged 6 to 18 years (mean 12 y, SD 3 y), with unilateral cerebral palsy, upper limb reduction deficiency, or obstetric brachial plexus palsy.

After item reduction and evaluation, CHEQ was designed to include 29 bimanual activities, each rated on three scales of perceived efficacy of the grasp, time taken to perform the activity, and degree of feeling bothered. The appropriateness of the included activities was confirmed by their reported relevance and bimanual nature. The internal structure of the scales was confirmed by Rasch analysis.

CHEQ can be used to assess children and adolescents with a unilateral hand dysfunction on their experiences of using the affected hand to perform bimanual tasks. In clinical work, CHEQ has the potential to become a useful tool for treatment planning and follow-up.