Reliability of the Korean Version of the Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System in Children with Cerebral Palsy.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System (EDACS) for children with cerebral palsy (CP).

METHODS

This was a prospective cross-sectional study conducted to psychometrically assess 40 children with CP. Reliability was evaluated by a physician in pediatric rehabilitation, a speech-language therapist (SaLT), and caregivers.

RESULTS

In the evaluation of each level and level of assistance in the EDACS, the agreement observed between the physician and speech therapist was almost perfect (κW = 0.940, 0.919). The agreement between the physician and the caregiver was substantial (κW = 0.618, 0.592), whereas it was moderate between the therapist and caregiver (κW = 0.557, 0.556). Intra-rater reliability remained almost perfect, with the physician (κW = 0.979), the SaLT (κW = 0.980), and caregivers (κW = 0.980). The EDACS showed moderate to high correlation with the Functional Oral Intake Scale, Gross Motor Function Classification System, Manual Ability Classification System, and Communication Function Classification System (Kτ = -0.863, 0.656, 0.720, 0.616).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings support the Korean EDACS as a reliable tool for classifying eating and drinking abilities in children with CP, thereby enhancing its clinical utility and communication among non-professionals and professionals.