The paediatric rehabilitation service in Malaysia is shifting from the traditional child-focused approach to a family-centred
approach. At present, there is a lack of an evaluation tool to assess to the quality of paediatric rehabilitation services, and
whether the services are in line with the principles of the family-centred service. This study was undertaken to assess validity
and reliability of the Malay version of the Measure of Processes of Care 20-item (MPOC-20) questionnaire in evaluating
family-centered approach in children rehabilitation services in Kuala Lumpur. The original English version of the MPOC-
20 was translated into Malay language, before it was administered to 102 parents of children receiving rehabilitation
service at the Occupational Therapy Unit, UKM Medical Centre. The component structure of the MPOC-20 Malay version
was examined using principal component analysis with Varimax rotation to explore the factor structures after translation.
Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to determine the internal consistency reliability of the factors identified in the MPOC-20
Malay version. The resultant four-factor model explained 64 % of the variance in the Malay MPOC-20 responses. All four
factors were similar to the five factors described in the original MPOC-20. All the 20 items were retained, with relocation of
some items into a new factor. The Malay version of the MPOC-20 showed good internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha
values ranging from 0.75 to 0.90. This study demonstrates that the Malay version of the MPOC-20 is valid and reliable,
and is suitable for evaluation of the quality of child rehabilitation services in the Malaysian context.
Children with dyslexia are commonly associated with gross motor difficulties. However, this non-literacy symptom is often overlooked as an important feature of dyslexia. Therefore, the aims of this study were to determine gross motor skills status among children with dyslexia and to compare the gross motor skills between younger and older children. A cross-sectional study was conducted on children with dyslexia from government schools and Dyslexia Association Malaysia. The participants were divided into two groups, namely younger (4 to 10 years) and older children (11 to 17 years old), and were recruited randomly. The gross motor skills were measured using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition (BOT-2) (subtests: Body Coordination, and, Strength and Agility) and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (MABC-2) (subtest: Aiming and Catching). Standard scores and percentile rankings were used for statistical analysis. A total of 82 children with dyslexia were recruited for this study, consisted of younger (n = 57) and older groups of children (n = 25). The younger children were found to have a significantly lower performance in gross motor skills in Body Coordination (Mdn = 48, IQR = 26-63), compared to the older children, (Mdn = 54, IQR = 30-77), with a small effect size (r = -.25). There were no significant different for other findings. The older children were found to demonstrate the highest level of gross motor skills. This study may suggest the need for an early intervention program for young age children with dyslexia. Future studies that assess gross motor skills using longitudinal design are recommended to investigate the changes in gross motor performance over time.
Inappropriate responses towards sensory input received from the environment, also known as sensory processing difficulties (SPD) may affect daily living activities of the children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Sensory Processing Measure Home Form (SPM Home Form) as a parent report measure for SPD is available in English and other foreign languages. To enhance the applicability and meaningfulness of SPM Home Form for the Malay speaking population, a study that focuses on translating, adapting, and validating the SPM Home Form into the Malay language was conducted. The development of the Malay version of the SPM Home Form (SPM-MV Home Form) involved three steps: 1) Item evaluation, 2) Forward and backward translation, and 3) Expert review and content validity. The process of translation and adaptation of the form was performed according to standard guidelines. No item was excluded from the original SPM Home Form as all the items were considered by the expert panel as appropriate and relevance to evaluate the activity and social participation among children in Malaysia. Content validity as measured by 10 experts in occupational therapy is high. The mean of sub-scales I-CVI is between 0.96 and 1.00. The total S-CVI of the form is 0.95 with sub-scales S-CVI range between 0.82 and 1.00. Cronbach’s alpha for internal consistency was reported at 0.80 and ICC for test-retest reliability ranged from 0.80 to 0.97. The SPM-MV Home Form has high potential to be used for assessing SPD among children ages 5-12 years in Malaysia.