Today Madison had her last session in her Grandview block of therapy with Kate. Madison will now have a break until mid to late March. For her last session Kate did the Gross Motor Function Classification System test with Madison. It took the full hour and Madison did a great job following instructions. Kate will then do this test again right before Madison starts JK and then again before she turns 5. Kate will plug the points and comments into a computer program that will give her results that we will see in a few weeks.
The gross motor skills (e.g. sitting and walking) of children and young people with cerebral palsy can be categorised into 5 different levels using this test. GMFCS looks at movements such as sitting and walking. It is helpful because it provides families and clinicians with:
1) a clear description of a child’s current motor function
2)an idea of what equipment or mobility aids a child may need in the future, e.g. crutches, walking frames or wheelchairs.
Generally, a child or young person over the age of 5 years will not improve their GMFCS level so, if for example, a child is classified at a Level IV at the age of 6 then it is likely that they will need to use a mobility device throughout their life.
Madi Moves 