Establishing normative data for the Functional Dexterity Test in typically developing children aged 3-5 years.

Study Design: Cross-sectional.

Introduction: The Functional Dexterity Test (FDT) is a timed pegboard hand dexterity test. Normative data have been developed primarily in adults with some studies in the pediatric population.

Content range and precision of a computer adaptive test of upper extremity function for children with cerebral palsy.

This article reports on the content range and measurement precision of an upper extremity (UE) computer adaptive testing (CAT) platform of physical function in children with cerebral palsy. Upper extremity items representing skills of all abilities were administered to 305 parents. These responses were compared with two traditional standardized measures: Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument and Functional Independence Measure for Children.

Development of a parent-report computer-adaptive test to assess physical functioning in children with cerebral palsy I: lower-extremity and mobility skills.

The objective of this project was to develop computer-adaptive tests (CATs) using parent reports of physical function in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP). The specific aims of this study were to (1) examine the psychometric properties of an item bank of lower-extremity and mobility skills for children with CP; (2) evaluate a CAT using this item bank; (3) examine the concurrent validity of the CAT with the Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) and the Functional Assessment Questionnaire (FAQ); and (4) establish the discriminant validity of simulated CATs with Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels and CP type (diplegia, hemiplegia, or quadriplegia). Parents (n=190) of children and adolescents with spastic diplegic (48%), hemiplegic (22%), or quadriplegic (30%) CP consisting of 108 males and 82 females with a mean age of 10 years 7 months (SD 4y 1mo, range 2-21y) and in GMFCS levels I to V participated in item pool calibration and completed the PODCI and FAQ.

Evaluation of an item bank for a computerized adaptive test of activity in children with cerebral palsy.

Background: Contemporary clinical assessments of activity are needed across the age span for children with cerebral palsy (CP). Computerized adaptive testing (CAT) has the potential to efficiently administer items for children across wide age spans and functional levels.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a new item bank and simulated computerized adaptive test to assess activity level abilities in children with CP.

Development of a parent-report computer-adaptive test to assess physical functioning in children with cerebral palsy II: upper-extremity skills.

The specific aims of this study were to (1) examine the psychometric properties (unidimensionality, differential item functioning, scale coverage) of an item bank of upper-extremity skills for children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP); (2) evaluate a simulated computer-adaptive test (CAT) using this item bank; (3) examine the concurrent validity of the CAT with the Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) upper-extremity core scale; and (4) determine the discriminant validity of the simulated CAT with Manual Ability Classification System (MACS) levels and CP type (i.e. diplegia, hemiplegia, or quadriplegia).

Measuring global physical health in children with cerebral palsy: illustration of a multidimensional bi-factor model and computerized adaptive testing.

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to apply a bi-factor model for the determination of test dimensionality and a multidimensional CAT using computer simulations of real data for the assessment of a new global physical health measure for children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Methods: Parent respondents of 306 children with cerebral palsy were recruited from four pediatric rehabilitation hospitals and outpatient clinics. We compared confirmatory factor analysis results across four models: (1) one-factor unidimensional; (2) two-factor multidimensional (MIRT); (3) bi-factor MIRT with fixed slopes; and (4) bi-factor MIRT with varied slopes.

Rapid increase in grip force after start of pamidronate therapy in children and adolescents with severe osteogenesis imperfecta.

Objective: To examine changes in grip force during pamidronate therapy in children and adolescents with severe osteogenesis imperfecta (OI).

Methods: Maximal isometric grip force of the nondominant hand was prospectively determined in 42 patients (age at the start of the study: 7.3-15.