Objectives: Kennedy Krieger Institute's Physical Abilities and Mobility Scale (PAMS) is designed to quantify progress toward gross motor therapeutic goals during inpatient rehabilitation of children with traumatic and acquired brain injury (TBI and ABI). The PAMS assesses tolerance to passive activity, motor control, and mobility. This study investigates the psychometric properties of the PAMS. Hypothesis: Adequate reliability, validity, and sensitivity to anticipated improvements during acute rehabilitation were expected. Participants: Fifty-six children, aged 1-19 years, with TBI or ABI admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation unit were included. Methods: The PAMS was administered at admission and discharge. Reliability was explored with analyses of internal consistency and interrater agreement. Construct validity was explored through principal axis factoring and correlation with the Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM). Discriminant validity was examined using paired t tests comparing PAMS admission and discharge scores. Results: Internal consistency was high (0.97). Total scores of 3 raters were highly correlated. Two factors at admission and 3 at discharge tapped different motor skill levels and positioning needs/tolerance. Correlations with WeeFIM ranged from 0.53 to 0.91; highest correlation was between WeeFIM motor and PAMS total scores. PAMS item and total scores improved significantly from admission to discharge. Conclusions: The PAMS demonstrates good reliability and validity as well as sensitivity to response to physical therapy and gross motor recovery. The PAMS appears to be a promising measure to track progress toward gross motor therapeutic goals in children with TBI or ABI during inpatient rehabilitation. The PAMS can be used with the WeeFIM to gain more detailed information regarding gross motor function.

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