Dystonia in childhood: clinical and objective measures and functional implications

Dystonia is a complex movement disorder that is challenging to identify and quantify. The aim of this article is to review the clinical scales, kinematic measures, and functional implications of dystonia. Clinical measures include the Barry-Albright Dystonia Scale, the Burke-Fahn-Marsden Movement Scale, the Unified Dystonia Rating Scale, the Global Dystonia Rating Scale, and the Movement Disorder-Childhood Rating Scale. The evidence, reliability, and validity of each scale will be outlined. The Hypertonia Assessment Tool will be discussed emphasizing the importance of discriminating hypertonia. The role of kinematic measures in analyzing dystonia will be explored, as well as the potential for its future clinical applications.