Quality FM

The Quality FM is an observational instrument to be used in the evaluation of the quality of movement in children with cerebral palsy. It is a new version of the GMPM that is specifically designed for use with children ages 4 and up who are in GMFCS Levels I, II and III, and focuses on quality of movement related to ambulatory skills. The Quality FM is rated from a video of the child's performance of the Stand and Walk/Run/Jump items of the GMFM. As with the GMPM, the Quality FM's primary purpose is to evaluate change over time in specific qualitative features, or attributes, of gross motor behaviour.

The Quality FM research group (lead by Dr. Peter Rosenbaum and Dr. Virginia Wright) is completing the validation work and the Quality FM is currently available for use in clinical research, with plans underway for roll-out to clinical use.

Certification training is required prior to use of the Quality FM. Contact the test developers, Virginia Wright - vwright@hollandbloorview.ca or Peter Rosenbaum - rosenbau@mcmaster.ca for information about training course options. Include the name "Quality FM" in your message. Further information about the Quality FM is available here.

FAQs relating specifically to the Quality FM:

What is the Quality FM?

The Quality FM is a measure of the quality of movement (i.e., alignment, weight shift, coordination, dissociated movements and stability) and is used to evaluate change in the quality of movement over time or with intervention of children with cerebral palsy to 12 years of age. It is used in conjunction with items from the GMFM-88.

What is the difference between the GMFM and the Quality FM?

While the GMFM is a measure of gross motor function, the Quality FM is a measure of gross motor performance or quality. 

• The GMFM looks at whether a child can do a described gross motor activity (a GMFM ‘item’), and how much of that activity they can do. Each GMFM ‘item’ can be scored from 0 (‘does not initiate’) to 3 (‘completes the activity’ [as described in the manual]). When scoring the GMFM, no consideration is given to how well the activity is done.
• The Quality FM is designed to explore the qualitative aspects of ‘performance’. How well does a child do the GMFM activities they are able to do? Here the focus is on a number of specifically identified attributes of ‘quality’ that have been associated with each GMFM item. The Quality FM has undergone extensive development to expand the measure and make it more easily accessible for clinical and research applications.