The Gross Motor Function Classification System Family Report Questionnaire: reliability between special-education teachers and caregivers.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability of the Thai Gross Motor Function Classification System Family Report Questionnaire (GMFCS-FR) and the possibility of special-education teachers and caregivers in the community using this system in children with cerebral palsy (CP).

METHOD: The reliability was examined by two teachers and two caregivers who classified 21 children with CP aged 2 to 12 years. A GMFCS-FR workshop was organized for raters. The teachers and caregivers classified the mobility of 362 children. The rater reliability was analysed using the weighted kappa coefficient. The possibility of using the GMFCS-FR is reported. The reliability of using the GMFCS-FR in the community was analysed by the intraclass correlation coefficient.

RESULTS: The intrarater reliability ranged from 0.91 to 1.00. The interrater reliability between teachers was 0.85 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.69-0.97) and between caregivers was 0.84 (95% CI 0.70-0.97). Ninety-seven percent of raters used the Thai GMFCS-FR correctly. The overall intraclass correlation coefficient between raters was 0.90 (95% CI 0.88-0.92).

INTERPRETATION: The Thai GMFCS-FR is a reliable system for classifying the motor function of young children with CP by teachers and caregivers in the community.