EVALUATING THE VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF THE PEDIATRIC FUNCTIONAL INDEPENDENCE MEASURE (DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY).

Description

Before clinicians and researchers can use the WeeFIM effectively its validity and reliability need to be evaluated. This research explores the psychometric properties of the WeeFIM. My aim was to systematically establish that the WeeFIM (a) consists of age appropriate tasks, (b) can be used by different investigators to obtain similar results, (c) is stable over a short time interval, and (d) is sensitive to the functional limitations of disabled children. In phase one I collected WeeFIM data from the parents of a convenience sample of nondisabled children in the community (n = 170). Children ranged in age from 1 month to 7 years, 11 months, 30 days of age. Phase two consisted of two parts (1) test-retest reliability with 28 children over a four to five week interval, and (2) rater reliability with 30 children over a two week interval. In phase three I collected WeeFIM data from the parents of 30 children with known disability (Cerebral Palsy or Motor Impairment). The phase one results indicate the WeeFIM measures a motor component and a cognitive component of functional independence. The motor items are generally sensitive to change in mean motor measure by year age, the cognitive items are not as sensitive. The motor and cognitive items calibrate in a developmentally appropriate hierarchy. Black females start growth in functional independence at a higher point and grow at a faster rate than the other children until four years of age. Phase two results show that equivalent data can be collected over time and by two different raters. Phase three results show that children with a disability obtain lower WeeFIM measures. These findings are encouraging and confirm the need to continue developing and testing the WeeFIM.

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