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Inter- and Intra-rater Reliability of the Head Control Scale: Brief Report
Helene M Dumas1,2, Elaine L Rosen1, Damara Viray1
1Department of Physical Therapy, Franciscan Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Developmental Neurorehabilitation
|November 1, 2021
Summary
The Head Control Scale (HCS) shows excellent overall score reliability for physical therapists assessing infant head control. Some variability exists in specific position scores, particularly in the prone position.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric physical therapy
- Infant motor development assessment
Background:
- Accurate assessment of infant motor skills is crucial for early intervention.
- The Head Control Scale (HCS) is a tool used to evaluate head control in infants.
- Reliability of assessment tools is essential for consistent clinical practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the Head Control Scale (HCS).
- To determine the consistency of HCS scoring among physical therapists.
Main Methods:
- Eight physical therapists participated in a repeated-measures design.
- Therapists scored HCS twice within four weeks using infant videos (2 and 6 months).
- Videos included infants with typical and atypical development.
Main Results:
- Excellent inter-rater reliability for the HCS overall score (ICC = 0.97).
- Excellent intra-rater reliability for the HCS overall score (range = 0.815-1.0).
- HCS position scores showed slight to substantial agreement, with variability noted in the prone position.
Conclusions:
- The HCS overall score demonstrates excellent reliability among raters.
- HCS position scores exhibit some variability, requiring attention, especially for the prone position.
- The HCS is a reliable tool for assessing overall infant head control.
