Developing and validating the Communication Function Classification System for individuals with cerebral palsy

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Rehabilitation
• Communication Sciences
• Disability Studies

Background:

• Cerebral palsy (CP) significantly impacts a child's communication abilities.
• A standardized system is needed to classify communication function in children with CP.
• Existing classification systems may not fully capture functional communication performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Communication Function Classification System (CFCS).
• To assess the content validity, interrater reliability, and test-retest reliability of the CFCS for children with CP.
• To provide a tool for various stakeholders interested in CP.

Main Methods:

• The CFCS was developed by an 11-member team and critiqued by 27 participants in nominal groups.
• A Delphi survey with 112 participants assessed clarity and usefulness.
• Reliability was tested with 61 professionals and 68 parents classifying 69 children (aged 2-18) and 48 professionals for test-retest.

Main Results:

• The CFCS demonstrated good professional interrater reliability (0.66, improving to 0.77 for children >4 years).
• Parent-professional interrater reliability was moderate (0.49).
• Test-retest reliability was very good (0.82).

Conclusions:

• The CFCS possesses content validity and strong test-retest reliability.
• It offers good professional interrater reliability and moderate parent-professional reliability.
• Integrating CFCS with other classification systems provides a comprehensive functional view aligned with ICF.