Development and field testing of a neuro psychomotor multidimensional grid for the assessment of children with cns tumor.

Central Nervous System (CNS) tumors are the most common pediatric solid tumor and development neuro psychomotor (DNPM) therapy can contribute to the rehabilitation of these children. This paper describes the development of a DNPM multidimensional assessment grid for children with CNS tumor (DNPM-CNS grid).The development process included 4 phases: (P1) literature review and grid development (Version 1.0), (P2) two rounds consultations with experts (Version 1.1 and 2.0), (P3) field testing, (P4) final revision (Version 3.0).(P1) The DNPM-CNS grid was developed based on previous tools and manuals and on clinical experience with this patient population. (P2) A total of 52 questionnaires were filled in by experts about relevance of assessment areas, pertinence, comprehensibility and feasibility of the grid. Average scores ranged from 7.6 to 10. (P3) At case level, good inter-rater agreement scores (78%) and limited non-evaluability rates (18%) emerged. At item level, 27% of items reached high disagreement and 26% high not-evaluability rates. The qualitative assessment was judged clinically useful for planning the neuro-oncology rehabilitation treatment and a good feasibility of the DNPM-CNS grid emerged both for preschool and school-age children. (P4) The final version of the grid consists of 8 assessment areas with 133 items.The DNPM-CNS grid is a comprehensive tool that can guide the overall DNPM assessment in a limited amount of time. It can be used as a screening tool to customize more specific assessments. Further research is needed to better characterize grid psychometric properties.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/08880018.2021.1948648 .

Tools for the assessment of neuropsychomotor profile in the rehabilitation of children with central nervous system tumor: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: This study reviews the scientific literature to identify and describe which assessment tools (ATs) are used in pediatric oncology and neuro-oncology rehabilitation and which development neuropsychomotor (DNPM) ATs were built for children with central nervous system (CNS) tumors. METHODS: A systematic review was performed searching PubMed, CINAHL, PEDro, Science Direct, and Catalog of National Institute of Tumors databases and specialized journals. The search covered 7 years (2010-2017) and used relevant keywords in different combinations. A further search was carried out on DNPM rehabilitation manuals and academic thesis. RESULTS: The review retrieved 35 eligible articles containing 63 ATs. The most common ATs were the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). Most of the ATs covered a single area of child development among behavioral/psychological, cognitive, and motor areas. A total of 159 ATs were found in manuals and thesis, and only 17 of them were already identified in the journal search. None of the ATs identified in both searches had been specifically developed for children with CNS tumor. CONCLUSION: The results highlight the need to develop and validate a global multidimensional AT for children with CNS tumor, overcoming the fragmentation of the assessment procedures and promoting standardized rehabilitation protocols.