A Narrative Review of Function-Focused Measures for Children With Neurodevelopmental Disorders.
Kajaani Shanmugarajah, Peter Rosenbaum, Mohammad Zubairi and 1 others
PMID 36188829WHAT IT FOUND
A review identified 14 ICF-based tools for children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
Most focus on participation and activity rather than body function. Seven target cerebral palsy, but three can be used for any child regardless of diagnosis.
Key findings
01The review identified 14 measures grounded in the ICF framework for children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
02Participation and Activities were the most common domains covered by these measures, while Body Structures and Function were less prominent.
03Three measures (CAP-HAND, CAPE & PAC, PEM-CY) are not diagnosis-specific and can be used with any child or youth.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The review only included measures that explicitly referenced the ICF in their development studies, so other tools that align with the framework but did not cite it were missed. Psychometric data was taken only from the initial development papers, which may not reflect later validation studies or current evidence of reliability. The search was limited to English-language journals and health-focused databases, potentially excluding relevant tools from educational or non-English contexts. Many of the identified measures were specific to cerebral palsy, leaving gaps in ICF-based tools for other neurodevelopmental disorders like ADHD or learning disabilities.
Declared interests
The authors declared no commercial or financial conflicts of interest. Funding was provided by the Hamilton Health Science Research Early Career Award and the Innovation Fund of the Alternative Funding Plan for the Hamilton Academic Health Sciences Organization.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these 14 measures are the only valid ICF-based tools available. The review only found measures that explicitly cited the ICF in their original development papers, so many existing clinical tools that fit the framework may have been excluded.