Melbourne assessment of unilateral upper limb function: construct validity and correlation with the pediatric evaluation of disability inventory

The Melbourne Assessment of Unilateral Upper Limb Function (Melbourne Assessment) is an evaluation tool that objectively measures upper-extremity function in children with cerebral palsy (CP). This study investigates how well performance on the Melbourne Assessment relates to the child's actual performance in functional tasks. Eighteen children with CP (5 to 14 years of age; nine males, nine females) were assessed using the Melbourne Assessment and the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI). Five children had spastic quadriplegia, eight had spastic diplegia, two had spastic hemiplegia and diplegia, two had athetosis, and one had hypotonic quadriplegia with mobile ventilator dependence. Children's performances were statistically correlated using Spearman's rho to establish the relation between these tools. Very high correlation coefficients were calculated between the Melbourne Assessment and self-care (0.939) and mobility domains (0.783) of the PEDI and the overall functional skills section of the PEDI (0.718). The Melbourne Assessment demonstrates excellent construct validity for upper limb functioning.