Development and Pilot Testing of the Challenge Module: A Proposed Adjunct to the Gross Motor Function Measure for High-Functioning Children with Cerebral Palsy.

The aim was to develop a Challenge Module (CM) as a proposed adjunct to the Gross Motor Function Measure for children with cerebral palsy who have high-level motor function. Items were generated in a physiotherapist (PT) focus group. Item reduction was based on PTs’ ratings of item importance and safety via online surveys. The proposed CM items were pilot-tested with children in Gross Motor Function Classification System Level I. The focus group identified 35 items for consideration. The first item-reduction survey (n = 86 PT respondents) resulted in 20 items. A second survey yielded two additional items. Seven pilot-test participants (6-14 years) had a CM total mean score of 74.5% (SD = 19.4). Three easy items were subsequently removed and two items combined. Of seven additional items suggested by the children during testing, two were accepted in a third item-reduction survey.

The final result was a 20-item CM to evaluate advanced motor skills. The CM requires refinement through Rasch scaling and formal validation.

Wilson A, Kavanaugh A, Moher R, McInroy M, Gupta N, Salbach NM, Wright FV. Development and Pilot Testing of the Challenge Module: A Proposed Adjunct to the Gross Motor Function Measure for High-Functioning Children with Cerebral Palsy. Phys Occup Ther Pediatr. 2010 Sep 7; online article ahead of print