The World Health Organization’s International
Classification of Functioning Heath and Disability
framework is used to document characteristics of
health and functioning in children.7 Lower extremity
muscle strength, body composition and gait
impairment are within the body structure and function
domain, while outcome tools including the
Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66), 1
minute walk test, Timed Up-and-Go, walking speed,
and the Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection
Instrument (PODCI) subscales are within the activity
and participation domain. Participant characteristics,
including age at the time of assessment, sex,
cerebral palsy type (hemiplegia or diplegia), gestational
age and age at walking onset are part of the contextual factors domain. Determining how
strength, body composition, gait impairment and
participant characteristics contribute to the variability
in scores on outcome measures used to assess
mobility, balance, and walking capacity will help
focus interventions that improve or prevent declines
in functional ability for ambulatory individuals with
cerebral palsy.