Psychometric evaluation of the Posture and Postural Ability Scale for children with cerebral palsy

Area of Science:

• Pediatric rehabilitation
• Movement science
• Clinical assessment tools

Background:

• Cerebral palsy (CP) significantly impacts motor function and posture in children.
• Accurate assessment of postural ability is crucial for effective intervention planning.
• The Posture and Postural Ability Scale (PPAS) is a potential tool for evaluating these deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the construct validity, internal consistency, and inter-rater reliability of the Posture and Postural Ability Scale.
• To determine if the PPAS is a suitable psychometric instrument for children with cerebral palsy.

Main Methods:

• Psychometric evaluation of the PPAS in 29 children with cerebral palsy (ages 6-16) across GMFCS levels II-V.
• Three independent raters assessed children's posture in various positions using the PPAS.
• Statistical analyses included Cronbach's alpha, item-total correlation, and weighted kappa scores.

Main Results:

• The PPAS demonstrated good construct validity, with significant differences between Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels.
• Excellent internal consistency (alpha = 0.95-0.96) and inter-rater reliability (kappa = 0.77-0.99) were observed.
• The scale effectively differentiates postural abilities across GMFCS levels.

Conclusions:

• The Posture and Postural Ability Scale exhibits high psychometric properties for children with cerebral palsy.
• The scale is a reliable and valid instrument for detecting postural deficits and asymmetries in this population.
• Findings support the use of the PPAS in clinical settings to guide targeted support and interventions.