Authors: Magdalena Rutka, Małgorzata Pałac

Published online:  7 July 2020

Abstract: People with Down syndrome are characterized by change postural control, which makes their balance disturbed. Many therapies focus on the functional improvement of many parameters. In order to properly verify the effects of the methods proposed by therapists, the research tool has to be reliable. This aim of the study was to validate the BESTest and Mini BESTest for people with Down syndrome. The study examined five school-age children. The assessment was performed by the therapist twice. Furthermore, the video from the first test was assessed, and then the second independent expert also assessed the video recording. The results were used for statistical analysis. Excellent reliability was observed for both the Kids-BESTest (ICC 0.95 to 0.97) and Kids-Mini-BESTest (ICC 0.87 to 0.99). The limits of agreement (LoA) in the full form of the test ranged from 0.6 to 2.8; in Kids-Mini-BESTest, it ranged from 0.2 to 0.4. Both Kids-BESTest and the Kids-Mini-BESTest can be successfully used in older children with Down syndrome to evaluate postural control disorders.