Selective motor control of the lower extremities in children with cerebral palsy: inter-rater reliability of two tests.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine the inter-rater reliability of two tests measuring selective motor control (SMC) of the lower extremities in children with cerebral palsy (CP).


METHODS
Two testers independently assessed 21 children (13 boys, eight girls; mean age 6 years 5 months, SD 12 months) with spastic CP (14 unilateral and seven bilateral) using the Boyd and Graham SMC test (with an existing protocol) and the modified Trost SMC test (with a newly developed protocol). Inter-rater reliability was analysed using Cohen's Kappa.


RESULTS
For the Boyd and Graham SMC test for ankle dorsiflexion, Kappa was 0.55 (95% CI = 0.36-0.74). For the modified Trost SMC test for ankle dorsiflexion, knee extension, hip abduction and hip flexion, Kappas were 0.65 (0.47-0.84), 0.69 (0.49-0.88), 0.57 (0.37-0.78) and 0.71 (0.51-0.91), respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The SMC tests showed moderate (Boyd and Graham SMC test) to good (modified Trost SMC test) inter-rater reliability.
Smits
Dirk-Wouter
DW
Center of Excellence for Rehabilitation Medicine Utrecht, Rehabilitation Center De Hoogstraat Utrecht, The Netherlands. d.smits@dehoogstraat.nl
van Groenestijn
Annerieke C
AC
Ketelaar
Marjolijn
M
Scholtes
Vanessa A
VA
Becher
Jules G
JG
Gorter
Jan Willem
JW
D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index