Parents' perception of the quality of life of preschool children at risk or having developmental disabilities.

Despite increased concern for the health related quality of life (HRQOL) of people with disabilities, little is known about the HRQOL of children with developmental disabilities. The present study aimed to explore the HRQOL of children who were at risk or having developmental disabilities in Hong Kong. Using the parent-reported Chinese Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), the HRQOL of 173 children (2-4 years) with signs of delays in development was contrasted with that of 132 children with typical development. We found that those who exhibited high risk of developing a developmental disability had significantly lower overall well-being (76.3 +/- 13.7 vs. 84.2 +/- 11.3; p<0.001) and psychosocial health (71.3 +/- 15.6 vs. 82.5 +/- 12.9; p<0.001) but not necessarily physical health. The findings are consistent with previous findings in children with different disabilities and chronic illnesses. They suggest children at risk or having DDs need help in restoring their quality of life up to the standard experienced by their healthy peers, particular in psychosocial aspects such as social functioning, emotion functioning, and school functioning.

Chinese version of the parent-proxy health-related quality of life measure for children with epilepsy: translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and reliability studies.

PURPOSE: The goal of this article is to report on the translation and reliability studies of the Parent-Proxy Response Scale of Quality of Life Measure for Children with Epilepsy for Hong Kong Chinese children. METHODS: In phase 1, forward and backward translations, expert panel review, and a series of pilot testing, cognitive interviewing, and pretesting with parents produced a Chinese translation. Content validity of the translated instrument was assessed. In phase 2, internal consistency was evaluated in 40 parents of children with epilepsy aged 8 to 18. Test-retest reliability was studied in 33 parents. RESULTS: The translation was judged to have good content validity by experts and was acceptable to parents. Internal consistency was good (Cronbach alpha=0.71-0.92). Test-retest reliability, determined with the intraclass correlation coefficient, ranged between 0.51 and 0.84. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest acceptable content validity, internal consistency, and reliability of the Chinese version of the Parent-Proxy Response Scale of the Quality of Life Measure for Children with Epilepsy. Studies with larger samples should be performed to further confirm other psychometric properties of the translated instrument.

Reliability and validity of the Test of Visual-Perceptual Skills (Non-Motor)--Revised for Chinese preschoolers.

OBJECTIVE: The reliability and validity of the Test of Visual-Perceptual Skills (Non-Motor)-Revised (TVPS-R) were examined for its usefulness on Hong Kong Chinese preschoolers. METHOD: Content validity was evaluated by six experts. Test-retest reliability, construct validity, and criterion validity were examined on 66 typically developing preschoolers while concurrent validity was examined on these preschoolers plus 52 preschoolers with visual-perception difficulties. RESULTS: Test-retest reliability was high for the total score (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] =.88), but not for all subtests (ICC ranged .38 to .77) or for individual items (mean kappa = 0.32). The standard error of measurement (SEM; 1.53) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .90) were satisfactory. Evidence supporting the test's validity included a significant developmental trend (F = 4.99, p < .001), a lack of gender bias (F = .04, p = .84), and positive known-group differentiation (Wilks's lambda = 52.42, p < .001). The correlation between the Motor-Free Visual-Perceptual Test-Revised composite score and the TVPS-R composite was moderate at r = .60. CONCLUSIONS: When based on the total scores, the TVPS-R was reliable and valid. The use of subtest scores and item scores for decision making or treatment planning is not recommended.

Preliminary validation of the Chinese version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory.

The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) is a scale for assessing health-related quality of life of children and adolescents aged 2--18 years. Three reports of PedsQL for the age ranges 2--4 years and 5--7 years were translated into Chinese and their validities were examined. A total of 186 children and parents were involved in the study. Content validity, test-retest reliability, internal consistency reliability and construct validity were assessed. The correlation of parents' and children's reports was also examined. The results showed that the internal consistency is generally good, test-retest reliability ranged from moderate to good, differences between disabled and non-disabled individuals are significant in total scores and in all subscales except for the physical functioning subscale for the children's self-report for the age ranges of 2-4 years and 5-7 years and the correlation between the reports of the parents and children for the age range of 5-7 years is moderate to high. This suggests that the newly translated Chinese PedsQL for children aged 2-4 years and 5-7 years seems to be reliable and valid to be used as a measure of health-related quality of life in Chinese pediatric research and clinical applications.

The suitability of the Sensory Profile for diagnosing sensory modulation dysfunctions in Chinese children.

The suitability of the Sensory Profile for Chinese children in Hong Kong was investigated. The parents of 584 children aged 3 to 10 years with typical development completed a validated Chinese version of the instrument. The percentages of children who never or seldom displayed 125 types of behavior were documented and compared with the US data published previously. While none of the 125 items of the Sensory Profile measured dysfunctions at the -2 SD level, 32% of the items did at the -1 SD level. When compared to the performance of children in the US, chi analyses revealed differences in 64.8% of the items. Occupational therapists should exercise caution when using the Sensory Profile on Hong Kong Chinese children. More investigation is required on the best means of evaluating sensory processing dysfunction in this group of children.

Self-perceived quality of life of children and adolescents with physical disabilities in Hong Kong.

Although illnesses and diseases are thought to adversely affect quality of life (QoL), whether children who have physical disabilities (PD) from a young age adapt to the effect of developmental disabilities has rarely been investigated. This study attempted to assess the subjective wellbeing, and examine the correlation between objective and subjective QoL, of children with PD. Using a self-reported non-disease-specific questionnaire, the QoL of 72 young persons (13.5+/-2.0 years) with PD was contrasted with those who do not have disabilities (n = 510; age-matched). MANOVA analyses revealed that the PD group had lower objective QoL score (63.0+/-7.4 vs. 66.8+/-5.7, p < 0.001) but the two groups were not significantly different in subjective QoL score (70.9+/-11.4 vs. 69.6+/-13.6, p = 0.466). No correlation was found between objective and subjective QoL in the PD group (r ranged from 0.06 to 0.19), while weak to medium correlations (r ranged from 0.03 to 0.41) were observed for the controls. The apparent detachment of subjective feeling and objective circumstances in the PD group may reflect adjustment to developmental disabilities.

Job satisfaction of childcare workers for children with developmental disabilities in Hong Kong.

The importance of early intervention for young children with developmental disabilities is recognized in different parts of the world. In Hong Kong, the special childcare worker (SCCW) is one of the key professionals responsible for intervention programs for these children. This study explores the level of job satisfaction of SCCWs with a view to identifying factors and issues relevant for policy-makers. Contrary to common belief, the 105 respondents surveyed were satisfied with their work, although not to a great extent. The main sources of job satisfaction were the progress made by the children and the appreciation shown by the parents; job dissatisfaction stemmed from insufficient support and training. Developments on the personal, agency and professional levels were discussed in relation to the enhancement of job satisfaction.

Relationship between motor proficiency, attention, impulse, and activity in children with ADHD.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between motor performance, attention deficit, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity in children with attention-deficit--hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Participants were 42 school-aged children with ADHD (36 males, 6 females; mean age 8 years 2 months, SD 1 year 2 months; range 6 years to 11 years), and 42 age- and sex-matched children without ADHD (mean age 8 years 3 months, SD 1 year 1 month; range 6 years to 11 years). Motor abilities were assessed with the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency. Attention and impulse control were measured with the Gordon Diagnostic System, and assessment of activity level was based on two Activity Level Rating Scales that were completed by parents and teachers. Analysis by t-test revealed a significant difference between children with and without ADHD in fine and gross motor skills, impulse control, and attention. Stepwise regression indicated that attention, impulse control, and parent ratings of activity level were the three best predictors of gross motor skills for children with ADHD, accounting for 55.9% of the variance. Attention and impulse control were the two best predictors of fine motor skills, accounting for 45.7% of the variance. Attention and impulse control were consistently found to be important predictors of both fine and gross motor skills in children with ADHD. However, the fact that activity level was a predictor for gross motor proficiency but not for fine motor tasks suggests that different behavioral processes are involved in fine and gross motor performance to different extents.

Interrater and test-retest reliability of the Movement Assessment Battery for Chinese preschool children.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper was to check on the reliability of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (Movement ABC) in preparation for its standardization in Hong Kong. Interrater and test-retest reliability are reported for Age Band One, designed for use with children ages four to six. METHOD: Interrater reliability of the Movement ABC was estimated using two trained observers with 79 children. Test-retest reliability was assessed using 75 children who were tested twice by the same tester over a 2- to 3-week interval. RESULTS. Agreement between testers was good with a mean intraclass correlation of 0.96 across items. A value of 0.77 was obtained for test-retest reliability. CONCLUSION: These results support the use of this component of the Movement ABC in Hong Kong.

Assessing handwriting speed of children biliterate in English and Chinese.

The assessment of multiliterate handwriting performance is rarely reported despite increased globalization. The present study describes the psychometric properties of a handwriting speed test developed for children who are biliterate in English and Chinese. This included interrater reliability, test-retest reliability, interitem correlation, construct validity, and concurrent validity. The test's reliabilities between two raters and over a 1-wk. interval were high with ICCs ranging from .89 to .99. Interitem correlation between the English and Chinese items was .87. The presence of age trends but not sex differences was a positive indicator of the test's validity. Correlations of .91 and 1.00 between the Chinese and the English items of the Handwriting Assessment Tool with the Chinese Handwriting Speed Test and Handwriting Speed Test, respectively, provided evidence of concurrent validity. These preliminary results showed the Handwriting Assessment Tool is reliable and is a potentially useful handwriting test for children biliterate in English and Chinese. The feasibility of assessing biliterate handwriting speed performance with the same set of scoring criteria for different writing systems was supported.