Correlation among four assessments of hand function in children with cerebral palsy
Lili Fang1, Haoying Jiang1, Shuli Zhu1,2
1Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China.
Insights
This study found moderate correlations between different hand function assessments in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Combining these tools is recommended to capture a comprehensive view of hand function at activity and participation levels.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Rehabilitation
- Neuroscience
- Occupational Therapy
Background:
- Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often experience challenges with hand function.
- Accurate assessment of hand function is crucial for effective intervention and understanding functional limitations.
- The International Classification of Function, Disability and Health (ICF) framework categorizes function into capacity, activity, and participation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationships between four distinct hand function assessments in children with CP.
- To evaluate how these assessments capture different levels of hand function (capacity, activity, participation) within the ICF framework.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-four children (aged 2-6 years) with CP participated.
- Assessments included the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-Second Edition (PDMS-2-FM) for fine motor ability and the Assessment of Children's Hand Skills (ACHS).
- Parent questionnaires captured perceived hand-skill performance and participation; Spearman's correlation coefficients were used.
Main Results:
- Moderate correlations were observed between PDMS-2-FM grasping/visual-motor scores and ACHS performance.
- PDMS-2-FM scores showed small-to-moderate correlations with parent-reported participation in recreation.
- Parent-perceived performance in activities of daily living moderately correlated with various participation domains.
Conclusions:
- The four hand function assessments capture different facets of hand function at activity and participation levels.
- Varied correlations suggest that a combination of assessments provides a more comprehensive understanding of hand function in children with CP.
- Integrated assessment approaches are recommended for clinical practice and research.
Objective:
To investigate the relationships among four hand function assessments in children with cerebral palsy (CP), capturing capacity, activity and participation levels under the International Classification of Function, Disability and Health.
Methods:
Twenty-four children with CP aged 2-6 years were recruited. Fine motor ability was evaluated using the Fine Motor Scale of the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-Second Edition (PDMS-2-FM). Hand-skill performance was evaluated using the Assessment of Children's Hand Skills (ACHS). The parents completed two questionnaires capturing perceived hand-skill performance and hand-use participation. Spearman's ρ correlation coefficients were performed.
Results:
The PDMS-2-FM grasping and visual-motor integration scores moderately correlated with the hand-skill performance scores. Its grasping scores had a small correlation with the parent-perceived performance scores in play. The PDMS-2-FM visual-motor integration and overall fine motor scores exhibited small-to-moderate correlations with the recreational participation scores. The self-care and educational participation scores had moderate correlations with the hand-skill performance scores. The parent-perceived performance scores in activity of daily living correlated moderately with the self-care, recreational, and domestic life and community participation scores.
Conclusions:
Moderate and varied correlations among the four assessments indicate the representation of different aspects of hand functions at the activity and participation levels, suggesting a need for combination use.
