Clinimetrics of measures of oropharyngeal dysphagia for preschool children with cerebral palsy and neurodevelopmental disabilities: a systematic review

Aim The aim of this study was to determine the psychometric properties and clinical utility of objective measures of oropharyngeal dysphagia (OPD) in children with cerebral palsy or neurodevelopmental disabilities aged 12 months to 5 years. Method Five electronic databases were searched to identify measures of OPD. The Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) Checklist was used to assess psychometric properties and a Modified CanChild Outcome Rating Form was used for clinical utility. Results Nine measures of OPD from 27 papers were assessed: the Brief Assessment of Motor Function Oral Motor Deglutition Scale; the Behavioral Assessment Scale of Oral Functions in Feeding; the Dysphagia Disorders Survey; the Feeding Behaviour Scale; the Functional Feeding Assessment, modified; the Gisel Video Assessment; the Oral Motor Assessment Scale; the Pre-Speech Assessment Scale; and the Schedule for Oral Motor Assessment. Interpretation The Schedule for Oral Motor Assessment and the Functional Feeding Assessment, modified, proved to be the strongest measures based on published psychometric properties of validity and reliability. The Schedule for Oral Motor Assessment and the Dysphagia Disorders Survey were found to have the strongest clinical utility. Further studies to test the psychometric properties of existing measures, in particular predictive validity, responsiveness, and testretest reliability, would be beneficial for selecting an appropriate measure for both clinical and research contexts.