Psychometrics of neurological soft signs.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the psychometrics of neurological soft signs in young children.


METHODS
In a sample of 42 children from the community, two examiners simultaneously rated soft signs using a standardized examination. A subsample (n = 33) was reexamined twice over the next week to estimate test-retest reliability.


RESULTS
Total score exhibited acceptable internal consistency as well as interrater and test-retest reliability. Psychometrics for individual items appeared less satisfactory than for the total score.


CONCLUSIONS
Although examiners can reliably rate a variety of soft signs, more research examining test-retest reliability is needed. A reliable examination might be useful in future efforts to document the neuropsychiatric correlates of soft signs.
Pine
D S
DS
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York 10032, USA.
Scott
M R
MR
Busner
C
C
Davies
M
M
Fried
J A
JA
Parides
M
M
Shaffer
D
D
D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D015588:Observer Variation; D011594:Psychometrics; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results