Correlation among four assessments of hand function in children with cerebral palsy

To investigate the relationships among four hand function assessments in children with cerebral palsy (CP), capturing capacity, activity and participation levels under the International Classification of Function, Disability and Health. Twenty-four children with CP aged 2–6 years were recruited. Fine motor ability was evaluated using the Fine Motor Scale of the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-Second Edition (PDMS-2-FM). Hand-skill performance was evaluated using the Assessment of Children’s Hand Skills (ACHS). The parents completed two questionnaires capturing perceived hand-skill performance and hand-use participation. Spearman’s ρ correlation coefficients were performed. The PDMS-2-FM grasping and visual-motor integration scores moderately correlated with the hand-skill performance scores. Its grasping scores had a small correlation with the parent-perceived performance scores in play. The PDMS-2-FM visual-motor integration and overall fine motor scores exhibited small-to-moderate correlations with the recreational participation scores. The self-care and educational participation scores had moderate correlations with the hand-skill performance scores. The parent-perceived performance scores in activity of daily living correlated moderately with the self-care, recreational, and domestic life and community participation scores. Moderate and varied correlations among the four assessments indicate the representation of different aspects of hand functions at the activity and participation levels, suggesting a need for combination use.