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Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Version of the Early Clinical Assessment of Balance (ECAB) for Young Children with Cerebral Palsy

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Abstract

The Early Clinical Assessment of Balance (ECAB) is a clinical tool that measures the postural stability of young children with cerebral palsy (CP) between the ages of one and a half to five years. The aim of this study was to test the reliability and the validity of the Turkish version of the ECAB in children with CP. Fifty children with spastic CP with the median age of 4.25 (IQR: 3–5) years were included in the study. The children were between the levels I-V according to the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). Test-retest reliability of the ECAB was evaluated by using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC3,1). Validity of the ECAB was analysed by examining the differences in the ECAB scores between the GMFCS levels and investigating the relation between the Turkish version of the ECAB and the GMFM-88. We found that the Turkish version of the ECAB had good test-retest reliability. Mann-Whitney U pairwise analyses indicated that the ECAB scores differed significantly between GMFCS levels I-III, I-IV, I-V and II-V (p < 0.00512, Sidak correction, CI: 95%). Spearman correlation coefficient between the ECAB and the total GMFM-88 score was 0.968 (p < 0.01). The results of our study showed that the Turkish version of the ECAB has good test-retest reliability and validity to assess postural stability of Turkish children with spastic CP, but we recommend further research to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the ECAB in different types (ataxia, dyskinesia, etc.) of CP.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kutahya Health Sciences University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Evliya Celebi Campus, Kutahya, Turkey

    Bahar Aras, Gulce Kallem Seyyar, Duygu Kayan & Ozgen Aras

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  1. Bahar Aras
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  2. Gulce Kallem Seyyar
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  3. Duygu Kayan
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  4. Ozgen Aras
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Correspondence to Bahar Aras.

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The study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Eskisehir Osmangazi University.

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Written informed consent was obtained from all of the participants.

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Aras, B., Seyyar, G.K., Kayan, D. et al. Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Version of the Early Clinical Assessment of Balance (ECAB) for Young Children with Cerebral Palsy. J Dev Phys Disabil 31, 347–357 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-018-9644-7

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