The Jebsen Taylor Test of Hand Function: A Pilot Test-Retest Reliability Study in Typically Developing Children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric occupational therapy
• Hand function assessment
• Motor development research

Background:

• The Jebsen Taylor Test of Hand Function (JTTHF) is a standard tool for evaluating hand function.
• Assessing the reproducibility of the JTTHF in pediatric populations is crucial for its clinical application.
• Limited data exists on the JTTHF's reliability in typically developing children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the test-retest reliability of the Jebsen Taylor Test of Hand Function (JTTHF) in typically developing children.
• To determine the suitability of the JTTHF for measuring hand function changes in pediatric research and clinical settings.

Main Methods:

• A modified JTTHF was administered to 87 typically developing children aged 5-10 years on two separate occasions.
• Reproducibility was assessed using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and Standard Error of Measurement (SEM).
• Children aged five were excluded due to significant differences in performance, leaving 71 participants (aged 6-10 years) for final analysis.

Main Results:

• Overall test-retest reliability for total scores was good, with ICC values of 0.74 for the dominant hand and 0.72 for the nondominant hand.
• No significant differences in total scores were found between male and female children.
• Subtests 'Writing' and 'Simulated Feeding' showed poor reproducibility, indicating potential limitations for these specific tasks.

Conclusions:

• The JTTHF demonstrates good test-retest reliability for total scores in typically developing children aged 6 to 10 years.
• The findings support the use of the JTTHF's total score as a reliable measure of hand function in this pediatric age group.
• Further investigation may be needed for specific subtests with lower reliability.