Pine D S, Scott M R, Busner C, Davies M, Fried J A, Parides M, Shaffer D
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York 10032, USA.
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1996 Apr;35(4):509-15. doi: 10.1097/00004583-199604000-00017.
To examine the psychometrics of neurological soft signs in young children.
In a sample of 42 children from the community, two examiners simultaneously rated soft signs using a standardized examination. A subsample (n = 33) was reexamined twice over the next week to estimate test-retest reliability.
Total score exhibited acceptable internal consistency as well as interrater and test-retest reliability. Psychometrics for individual items appeared less satisfactory than for the total score.
Although examiners can reliably rate a variety of soft signs, more research examining test-retest reliability is needed. A reliable examination might be useful in future efforts to document the neuropsychiatric correlates of soft signs.
