Reliability and Validity of the Kinematic Dystonia Measure for Children With Upper Extremity Dystonia

This study was conducted to determine the test-retest reliability and construct validity of the Kinematic Dystonia Measure, a quantitative measure of upper extremity dystonia. To determine the effectiveness of various treatments, reliable and valid measures of dystonia are required. Test-retest reliability of the Kinematic Dystonia Measure using the intraclass correlation coefficient was excellent for the hand-tapping task (0.95) and substantial for the eye-blinking task (0.74). Construct validity testing for the hand-tapping task revealed that Kinematic Dystonia Measure scores correlated with total Barry-Albright Dystonia Scale scores (Pearson r = 0.79, P = .003), affected arm Barry-Albright Dystonia Scale subscores (Pearson r = 0.76, P = .0.007), and negatively correlated with Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test scores (Pearson r = -0.60, P = .05). The Kinematic Dystonia Measure has excellent test-retest reliability and good construct validity using the hand-tapping task. When combined with functional outcome measures, the Kinematic Dystonia Measure can effectively measure dystonia in children.