title: Reliability and validity of the kinematic dystonia measure for children with upper extremity dystonia.
abstract: This study was conducted to determine the test-retest reliability and construct validity of the Kinematic Dystonia Measure, a quantitative measure of upper extremity dystonia. To determine the effectiveness of various treatments, reliable and valid measures of dystonia are required. Test-retest reliability of the Kinematic Dystonia Measure using the intraclass correlation coefficient was excellent for the hand-tapping task (0.95) and substantial for the eye-blinking task (0.74). Construct validity testing for the hand-tapping task revealed that Kinematic Dystonia Measure scores correlated with total Barry-Albright Dystonia Scale scores (Pearson r = 0.79, P = .003), affected arm Barry-Albright Dystonia Scale subscores (Pearson r = 0.76, P = .0.007), and negatively correlated with Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test scores (Pearson r = -0.60, P = .05). The Kinematic Dystonia Measure has excellent test-retest reliability and good construct validity using the hand-tapping task. When combined with functional outcome measures, the Kinematic Dystonia Measure can effectively measure dystonia in children.
authors.affiliation: Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Klejman
authors.forename: Darcy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fehlings
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004421:Dystonia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D034941:Upper Extremity / Q000503:physiopathology*