Evaluation of Ability for Basic Movement Scale for Children Type T (ABMS-CT) for disabled children

BackgroundThe objective of this pilot study was to test the validity and reliability of a new scale, the Ability for Basic Movement Scale for Children Type T (ABMS-CT).MethodsForty-nine pediatric patients with disabilities (aged 1.00–15.17 years; 29 males and 20 females) participated in this prospective study. To prove the validity and reliability of the ABMS-CT, subjects were administered the ABMS-CT by two physicians. In addition to the ABMS-CT score, data on age, diagnosis, and results of the Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM) were recorded.ResultsSpearman’s rank correlation coefficient analysis showed that the ability to perform basic movements according to the individual scores for each item on the ABMS-CT and the total scores of the ABMS-CT correlated significantly with the total scores of the motor and cognitive WeeFIM, respectively (r = 0.753–0.892, p = 0.0001). The five items on the ABMS-CT had appropriate internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.966). Inter-rater reliability analysis indicated that the “oral and facial area”, “hands and fingers”, “one leg”, “both legs”, and “stairs” items on the ABMS-CT had almost perfect reliability (κ = 0.854–0.925).ConclusionThis study provides evidence for the validity and reliability of the ABMS-CT with regard to assessment of the functional ability for complex movements in disabled pediatric patients even if they can walk independently.