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Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT) and Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS):
Helene M Dumas1, Maria A Fragala-Pinkham2, Elaine L Rosen3
1H.M. Dumas, PT, MS, Research Center for Children With Special Health Care Needs, Franciscan Hospital for Children, 30 Warren St, Boston, MA 02135 (USA). hdumas@fhfc.org.
Physical Therapy
|May 30, 2015
Summary
The Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT) Mobility domain is a valid and responsive measure for young children in postacute care. Further development is needed to confidently identify motor delays in infants under 18 months.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Physical Therapy
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Preliminary studies support the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT) psychometric properties for youth with disabilities.
- Additional validation is necessary for the PEDI-CAT, particularly for young children.
- The PEDI-CAT Mobility domain requires further assessment in specific pediatric populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the concurrent validity between the PEDI-CAT Mobility domain and the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS).
- To evaluate the ability of both the PEDI-CAT Mobility domain and AIMS to identify motor delay in young children.
- To assess the responsiveness of the PEDI-CAT Mobility domain and AIMS to changes in motor skills over time.
Main Methods:
- Fifty-three infants and young children (<18 months) in a pediatric postacute care hospital were included.
- The PEDI-CAT Mobility domain and AIMS were administered at baseline, 3-month intervals, and discharge.
- Spearman correlation, chi-square analysis, and mean score differences were used to analyze validity, motor delay identification, and responsiveness, respectively.
Main Results:
- A statistically significant, fair association (rs=.313) was observed between the PEDI-CAT Mobility domain and AIMS.
- Both assessments showed no significant difference in identifying motor delay, though AIMS identified more infants below the fifth percentile.
- Participants demonstrated significant improvements on both the PEDI-CAT Mobility domain and AIMS from initial to final assessments.
Conclusions:
- The PEDI-CAT Mobility domain is a valid and responsive measure for young children (<18 months) in postacute care settings.
- While responsive to motor skill changes, further item and standardization development is needed for the PEDI-CAT to confidently identify motor delay in this age group.
- Generalizability of the findings is limited to the specific population studied (infants <18 months in pediatric postacute care).
