Article

This paper reports the second phase of a study to extend the Melbourne
Assessment for use with children with neurological impairment aged 2 to 4 years.
The aim was to establish if (1) children's scores on the Modified Melbourne
Assessment (MMA) and the Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test (QUEST) showed a
moderate to high, positive relation, (2) children had comparable behaviours for
task and time demands on both tools, and (3) scores on the MMA could discriminate
between children with mild, moderate, and severe levels of upper limb impairment.
Method An observational study of 30 children (19 males, 11 females) with
neurological impairment aged 2 to 4 years. Twenty-four children had spasticity
(20 with a unilateral and four with a bilateral impairment) and two children
presented with athetosis, two with ataxia, and two with hypotonia. Results A
high, positive relation was found between children's scores on the MMA and the
QUEST (rho=0.90; p=0.001). The clinical use of the MMA was comparable to the
QUEST. MMA scores were able to discriminate between children's levels of upper
limb impairment as determined by clinicians' ratings (F(2,27) =67.76, p=0.001).
Interpretation These findings suggest the MMA can be clinically useful for
children as young as 2.5 years and has the advantage of being valid for use with
older children. Scores from the tool can also provide therapists with a
quantitative means of consistently reporting level of upper limb impairment.
CI - (c) 2012 The Authors. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology (c) 2012 Mac Keith
Press.

Langue : ANGLAIS