Development of a Clinical Framework for the Assessment of Dyskinesia and Function in the Upper Limb in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Dyskinesia in cerebral palsy (CP) is a complex movement disorder that can significantly impact upper limb function. Despite a range of available tools, there is no consensus on best practice assessment of upper limb function in children with CP and dyskinesia. This study aimed to develop a clinical...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical & occupational therapy in pediatrics 2023-01, Vol.43 (1), p.1-13
Main Authors: Ralph, Edward, Carroll, Kate, Danks, Marcella, Harvey, Adrienne
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Assessment
Australia
Cerebral Palsy - diagnosis
Child
children
dyskinesia
Dyskinesias - diagnosis
framework
Humans
Upper Extremity
upper limb
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Dyskinesia in cerebral palsy (CP) is a complex movement disorder that can significantly impact upper limb function. Despite a range of available tools, there is no consensus on best practice assessment of upper limb function in children with CP and dyskinesia. This study aimed to develop a clinical framework for the assessment of the impact of dyskinesia on upper limb function in children with CP. Modified Delphi study using expert consensus. An expert panel of six highly experienced Australian therapists ranked assessment tools sourced from existing evidence-based literature using a five-point Likert scale. Tools rated as important for use "most" or "all" of the time, by 80% of respondents were accepted into the framework following two survey rounds and a third stage discussion. Of 21 tools, 12 were included in the framework under five categories: (i) screening for dyskinesia; (ii) measuring the severity of dyskinesia; (iii) Classifying upper limb functional ability; (iv) measuring upper limb functional ability; and (v) measuring upper limb movement. The framework for assessing the impact of dyskinesia on upper limb function in CP aims to guide clinicians to improve assessment consistency and facilitate individualized goal-directed management. Further studies with a larger number of expert clinicians and researchers will further strengthen the utility of the framework.
ISSN:0194-2638
1541-3144
DOI:10.1080/01942638.2022.2104149