Assessing Child Postural Variability: Development, Feasibility, and Reliability of a Video Coding System

Abstract

Aims

Postural variability is central to children’s locomotion, motor control, and environmental exploration, and lacks standardized methods for systematic assessment. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the feasibility and interrater reliability of Child Posture Variability Coding (CPVC), a method of quantifying postural variability in young children.

Method

Videos of parent-child play interactions obtained from a longitudinal study investigating language acquisition in typically developing (TD) children and children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were used to develop 33 codes for children’s voluntary changes in static and dynamic postures. Interrater reliability was calculated for three raters who independently coded 10 randomly selected videos of children aged 23 to 48 months (TD: n = 5, median = 35, IQR = 12.5; ASD: n = 5, median = 35, IQR = 6.75).

Results

Overall, CPVC demonstrated excellent interrater reliability (Krippendorff’s$\mathrm{ }\alpha$ > 0.90). Among all codes developed, five codes (i.e., sit–half, sit–other, crawl, cruise, and supported walk) were not observed by any coders in the sample, but were kept in the coding scheme to reflect normal developmental milestones.

Conclusions

CPVC is a reliable, feasible method of quantifying postural variability in young children with and without neurodevelopmental disorders in naturalistic contexts.

Keywords:

• Locomotion
• motor development
• psychometric testing

Disclosure statement

In accordance with Taylor & Francis policy and our ethical obligations as researchers, we, the authors, declare no financial and/or business interests that relate to the research described in this manuscript.

Acknowledgements

We thank the National Institutes of Health for supporting the original research, and all of the children and their families who participated in this research. We thank Rose Jaffery, Janina Piotroski and Andrea Tovar Gehen in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Connecticut. We are grateful to students in the Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, Emily Greeke, Nicole McGowan, and Leela Thapa, and to Dr. Goldman’s Research Assistant David Leeds for the time and diligence they contributed to this project.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders: NIHDCD, R01 DC07428.

Notes on contributors

Laurel Daniels Abbruzzese

Laurel Daniels Abbruzzese is an Assistant Professor in the Programs in Physical Therapy within the Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Natasha Yamane

Natasha Yamane is a Doctoral Candidate in Personal Health Informatics at Northeastern University's Bouvé College of Health Sciences and Khoury College of Computer Sciences.

Deborah Fein

Deborah Fein is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Connecticut.

Letitia Naigles

Letitia Naigles is a Professor and Head of the Developmental Psychology program in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Connecticut.

Sylvie Goldman

Sylvie Goldman is an Assistant Professor and Developmental Psychologist in the Divisions of Child Neurology and Cognitive Neuroscience of the Department of Neurology at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center.