Does parent report measure performance? A study of the construct validity of the Functional Mobility Scale

Harvey, A, Baker, RJ ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4759-4216, Morris, M, Hough, J, Hughes, M and Graham, H 2009, 'Does parent report measure performance? A study of the construct validity of the Functional Mobility Scale' , Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 52 (2) , pp. 181-185.

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Abstract

AIM: Parental report is often relied on to measure performance of activities in children with cerebral palsy (CP). This study examined whether the Functional Mobility Scale (FMS) accurately reflects performance of mobility in children with CP.
METHOD: Eighteen children with spastic CP (11males, seven females;mean age 12y 8mo, SD 2y 8mo, range 8–17y) were recruited from a special development school. Children were in Gross Motor Function Classification System(GMFCS) levels II (n=5), III (n=4), or IV (n=9), and had quadriplegia (n=9), diplegia (n=7), or hemiplegia (n=2). The children’s mobility was observed directly around and outside the home and at school and their mobility methods were recorded. The parent’s FMS rating was obtained on the telephone by a physiotherapist. Agreement between direct observation and the FMS rating was examined using quadratic weighted kappa (j) statistics.
RESULTS: Agreement between direct observation and the FMS was as follows: FMS 5m j=0.71, 45%; FMS 50m j=0.76, 94%; FMS 500mj=0.74, 95%. Differences in the range and number of mobility methods were observed by GMFCS level across environmental settings.
INTERPRETATION: Substantial agreement was found between FMS ratings and direct observation, particularly over longer distances, providing evidence of the validity of the FMS as ameasure of performance in children with CP.

Item Type:	Article
Themes:	Health and Wellbeing
Schools:	Schools > School of Health Sciences
Journal or Publication Title:	Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology
Publisher:	Wiley
Refereed:	Yes
ISSN:	00121622
Depositing User:	RH Shuttleworth
Date Deposited:	11 May 2011 09:21
Last Modified:	16 Feb 2022 11:23
URI:	https://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/15741

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