Kamide Anri, Hashimoto Keiji, Miyamura Kohei, Honda Manami
Division of Rehabilitation Medicine and Developmental Evaluation Center, National Center for Child Health and Development, Japan.
Division of Rehabilitation Medicine and Developmental Evaluation Center, National Center for Child Health and Development, Japan.
Brain Dev. 2015 May;37(5):508-14. doi: 10.1016/j.braindev.2014.08.005. Epub 2014 Aug 30.
The purpose was to devise a dysphagia scale for disabled children that could be applied by various medical professionals, family members, and personnel in treatment and education institutions and facilities for disabled children and to assess the validity and reliability of that scale, "Ability for Basic Feeding and Swallowing Scale for Children" (ABFS-C).
Subjects were 54 children (aged 2months to 14years and 7months, median 14months) who visited the National Center for Child Health and Development from January 2012 to December 2013. They were examined using the Fujishima's Grade of Feeding and Swallowing Ability (Fujishima's Grade), the Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM) and the ABFS-C composed of 5 items (wakefulness, head control, hypersensitivity, oral motor and saliva control). Validity was evaluated according to correlations of the ABFS-C with Fujishima's Grade or WeeFIM. To assess interrater reliability, 17 children were assessed by a doctor and occupational therapist independently.
The ABFS-C scores and Fujishima's Grade were correlated using Spearman rank correlation coefficients. Fujishima's Grade was significantly correlated with saliva control (R=0.470) and the total ABFS-C scores (R=0.322) but not with wakefulness (R=-0.014), head control (R=0.122), hypersensitivity (R=-0.009), or oral motor (R=0.139). In addition, the total ABFS-C scores had a significant correlation with the total score of the WeeFIM (R=0.562), motor WeeFIM (R=0.451), cognitive WeeFIM (R=0,478), and the eating subscore of the WeeFIM (R=0.460). Interrater reliability was demonstrated for all items except hypersensitivity.
There were significant correlations between the total ABFS-C scores and Fujishima's Grade and WeeFIM, which suggested the need for comprehensive assessments rather than assessments of individual feeding and swallowing functions. To improve the reliability for hypersensitivity, the assessment process for hypersensitivity should be reviewed.
