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Classification systems of communication for use in epidemiological surveillance of children with cerebral palsy
Author(s) -
Virella Daniel,
Pennington Lindsay,
Andersen Guro L,
Andrada Maria da Graça,
Greitane Andra,
Himmelmann Kate,
Prasauskiene Audrone,
Rackauskaite Gija,
De La Cruz Javier,
Colver Allan
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
developmental medicine and child neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.658
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1469-8749
pISSN - 0012-1622
DOI - 10.1111/dmcn.12866
Subject(s) - cerebral palsy , health professionals , international classification of functioning, disability and health , gross motor function classification system , psychology , epidemiology , inter rater reliability , audiology , rehabilitation , medicine , physical medicine and rehabilitation , health care , developmental psychology , physical therapy , rating scale , economics , economic growth
Aim Children with cerebral palsy ( CP ) often experience communication difficulties. We aimed to identify a classification system for communication of children with CP suitable for epidemiological surveillance. Method Systems to classify the communication of children with CP were identified. The Communication Function Classification System ( CFCS ), Functional Communication Classification System ( FCCS ), and Viking Speech Scale ( VSS ) were chosen for further investigation and translated. They were administered to 155 children aged 4 to 13 years with CP (across all motor severity levels) from eight European countries. Children's parents/carers, speech therapists, and other health professionals applied the systems through direct observation. Other professionals applied them from case notes only. The systems were assessed for agreement, stability, ease, and feasibility of application. Results Test–retest stability was moderate‐to‐high for VSS ( k =0.66–0.88), CFCS ( k =uncomputed–0.91), and FCCS ( k =0.52–0.91). Overall interrater agreement was fair to very good for every classification system. VSS achieved the best agreement between parents/carers and speech therapists. VSS was considered the easiest instrument to apply. Interpretation Because of its ease of use by a range of healthcare professionals, the VSS should be considered for CP registers which intend to survey speech intelligibility. For a wider assessment of communication, the CFCS or FCC should be considered.