The Reliability and Validity of Data Obtained With the Functional Gait Assessment Modified for Children.
Amanda Chiao, Jessie N Patterson, Graham D Cochrane and 2 others
PMID 39918976WHAT IT FOUND
Children with bilateral vestibular loss scored significantly lower on this modified gait test than those with normal function, supporting its use to identify severe balance deficits.
However, the test performed poorly for unilateral loss and showed inconsistent results when repeated, limiting its reliability for tracking change.
Key findings
01Children with bilateral vestibular loss had significantly lower Functional Gait Assessment scores than those with normal vestibular function.
02The test failed to distinguish children with unilateral vestibular loss from those with normal function.
03Test-retest reliability was poor, with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.48.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small, especially for children with unilateral vestibular loss. Test-retest reliability was only assessed in children with normal hearing, not those with vestibular loss. Some raters made errors in video review order, leading to data exclusion. The study did not account for factors like age, sex, or timing of cochlear implantation. Raters scored videos rather than live performance, which may have affected accuracy due to poor audio or visual quality.
Declared interests
Dr. Chiao received support from an NIH training fellowship. Dr. Patterson declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the FGA-mC is a reliable tool for tracking a child's progress or detecting mild balance issues. The poor test-retest reliability means scores can vary significantly between visits even if the child's condition hasn't changed, and it failed to distinguish unilateral loss from normal function.