| Description |
How do physical therapists assess quality of movement in children with spina bifida? Many pediatric outcome measures assess what tasks a child can do but not how the child moves to achieve the task. It is essential that physical therapists assess the quality of a child’s movement to implement effective interventions that improve functional mobility, participation, and quality of life. This session will explore several outcome measures designed to assess the quality of functional movement, gait, and participation in children with spina bifida. We will discuss recent evidence related to various walking measures, the wheelchair shuttle test, the Peds QL, and the Pediatric Neuromuscular Recovery Scale that assess quality of movement in children with spina bifida. Research findings will be presented with regards to neuroanatomical deficits that occur in spina bifida and the most advantageous outcome measures to assess quality of movement in these children. By the end of the session, participants will be able to select a variety of tools that best assess the quality of functional mobility, gait, participation, and quality of life in children with spina bifida.
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