Should the Gross Motor Function Classification System be used for children who do not have cerebral palsy?

Abstract

The Gross Motor Function Classification System should not be used outside cerebral palsy or as an outcome measure. The authors provide recommendations for development and validation of condition-specific or generic classification systems.

Treatment and re/habilitation of children with cerebral palsy in India: a scoping review

“…Although we did not engage in a detailed critical appraisal of all the methodological aspects of these studies, it is clear that there are challenges. For example, despite clear recommendations, many studies report the Gross Motor Function Classification System as an ‘outcome measure’, as opposed to a classification system. Some studies used the Functional Independence Measure to measure QoL and there were spelling and other grammatical errors in the published studies.…”

Intrathecal baclofen in metachromatic leukodystrophy

“…At the start of the therapy, all children were non‐walking, described by the Gross Motor Function Classification for MLD (GMFC‐MLD) level III to VI . This classification system is adapted from the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) which was created for use with children with CP …”

Should school‐based physical therapists be more targeted in their interventions for children with disabilities?

“…The remainder had a variety of conditions including genetic syndromes, global developmental delay, and other conditions. The GMFCS is not validated for these populations and its authors do not recommend use outside the cerebral palsy population . However, this is not the first research to choose to use the GMFCS in this way and perhaps this demonstrates the need for development of similar classification systems for other conditions.…”

“…The GMFCS is not validated for these populations and its authors do not recommend use outside the cerebral palsy population . However, this is not the first research to choose to use the GMFCS in this way and perhaps this demonstrates the need for development of similar classification systems for other conditions. This would aid communication between health professionals in clinical and research settings, and collaborative goal setting and treatment planning with families.…”