Grading hypotonia in children with Down syndrome: A study psychometric.

INTRODUCTION AND

OBJECTIVES

Currently, hypotonia is diagnosed and graded observationally. This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable scale for assessing hypotonia in children with Down syndrome.

MATERIAL AND METHOD: An initial 43-item scale was created to measure hypotonia in children with Down syndrome. After psychometric analysis of the results, 21 items were eliminated, resulting in a 22-item scale that was applied to a sample of 50 children (28 girls) between 7 and 94 months. The item analysis, internal consistency, inter-rater agreement, and test-retest reliability with alpha and ICC coefficients were analyzed. Hypothesis testing was calculated by ANOVA and Student's t-tests, and criterion validity by comparison with the clinical sensation observed by an expert evaluator.

RESULTS

The 22-item scale reported high reliability, stability, and reproducibility of its measures, both globally and individually. Inter-rater agreement was high [0.88-1.00] and internal consistency was higher. No significant differences were found according to sex or motor stage. Furthermore, significant differences were found according to the clinical sensation of the rater and grade of hypotonia.

CONCLUSIONS

The developed scale allows to assess hypotonia and proved to be reliable and valid.