The Gait Outcomes Assessment List (GOAL): Validation of a new measure of gait function for children with cerebral palsy
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Project Leader
Dr Pam Thomason
Project Details
A number of outcome measures have been described to measure various aspects of gait function in ambulant children with cerebral palsy (CP). Although they may provide objective information, none to date address the child or family’s priorities and expectations. The Gait Outcomes Assessment List (GOAL) has recently been developed by a multidisciplinary team of researchers from Toronto, to specifically reflect the aims and priorities of children and their parents. It has been designed to address all domains of the WHO-ICF. The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to assess aspects of validity of the GOAL and once validity of the GOAL has been established, responsiveness to change will be evaluated.
The study questions are:
- Does the GOAL discriminate between GMFCS Levels I-III?
- How does the GOAL compare with the “gold standard”, three dimensional gait analysis (3DGA) and standard functional assessments with known psychometric qualities, namely, The Functional Mobility Scale (FMS) and Gillette Functional Assessment Questionnaire (FAQ)?
- Does the magnitude and direction of change in GOAL scores reflect those of a valid measure of gait function, the Gait Profile Score (GPS).
Collaborators
- NH&MRC CP-CRE, Chief Investigators: Professor Dinah Reddihough, Professor H.Kerr Graham, Professor Christine Imms, Professor Nadia Badawi, Associate Professor Michael Coory, Professor Eve Blair, Professor Rob Carter.
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research: Professor Unni Narayanan, Dr Darcy Fehlings, Professor H. Kerr Graham, Dr R Hamdy, Dr Kishore Mulpuri.
Research Outcomes
The validation component of this study has been completed and a paper is under review.