Selective motor control of the lower extremities in children with cerebral palsy: inter-rater reliability of two tests.

Purpose: 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.

Conclusion: The SMC tests showed moderate (Boyd and Graham SMC test) to good (modified Trost SMC test) inter-rater reliability.