The Gross Motor Family Report (GM-FR) is a family report evaluation tool for children with cerebral palsy (CP). It is easy for families to complete, values families’ knowledge of their child’s motor abilities, and is appropriate for use in a telehealth context [1,2]. It is based on and adapted from the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM); a standardized clinical tool used to assess changes in gross motor function in children with CP [3].

The family-completed measure includes clear descriptions and illustrations for each of the 28 items [2]. The GM-FR, developed with family input, has good evidence of reliability and validity2 across all levels of the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), a 5-point scale used to categorize gross motor abilities of children and youth with CP [4].

The GM-FR is organized into the same 5 dimensions of the GMFM: (A) Lying and Rolling (6 items); (B) Sitting (5 items); (C) Crawling (3 items); (D) Standing (5 items); (E) Walking (9 items) and takes between 5 and 15 minutes to complete.

The GM-FR provides an accessible and contextually relevant assessment of the gross motor performance of children in their natural environments.

Applications

• Facilitates communication with families
• Informs clinical care, specifically physiotherapy and rehabilitation
• Provides a tool for CP clinical trials

Advantages

• Available in English and Brazilian Portuguese
• Validated and critiqued by families
• Gathers family perspectives on their child’s usual movement performance in their environments
• Easy to use
• Provides clear descriptions and pictures of each item (see example)
• Includes a convenient calculator for clinician scoring, data base saving and displaying of results