title: Selective motor control of the lower extremities in children with cerebral palsy: inter-rater reliability of two tests.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Center of Excellence for Rehabilitation Medicine Utrecht, Rehabilitation Center De Hoogstraat Utrecht, The Netherlands. d.smits@dehoogstraat.nl
authors.forename: Dirk-Wouter
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Smits
authors.forename: Annerieke C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: van Groenestijn
authors.forename: Marjolijn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ketelaar
authors.forename: Vanessa A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Scholtes
authors.forename: Jules G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Becher
authors.forename: Jan Willem
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Gorter
mesh_terms: 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