Sonja Mensch

43 A systematic review of the literature of motor abilities can be determined and therapeutic goals connected. Acquiring some motor abilities is relevant; for example, changing body position may be only possible with the help of another person. By practicing the ability to actively participate in rolling over from lying on the back to lying on the side, the child can influence its own care and this active participationwill be positive for the child’s quality of life. Moreover, systematic objective evaluation of such changes in motor abilities provides insight into children’s functioning, and supports decision-making in goal-oriented intervention (Palisano et al., 2012). An instrument for this specific group, with the aim of longitudinal evaluation of progression, stabilization, or deterioration of motor abilities, to be applied in clinical physical therapeutic practice, is needed. The next step towards our purpose of the ideal instrument for childrenwith severe multiple disabilities, we will be developing criteria for clinical suitability in this specific group and applying them to the found eight instruments. Important criteria for clinical suitability will be the possibility to score manual support, the ability to score subtle changes in motor abilities and the ability to score relevant low-level motor abilities, for example raising the head and maintaining a position. This step can be a starting point in deciding whether an existing test can be used, maybe after modification and high- quality study of its psychometric properties, or a new test has to be developed. In our opinion, we need the involvement of experts working in the field of this specific target group in order to formulate suitability criteria for a test for children with SMD, which would result in a well-defined procedure and a clear definition of the construct of the test. Declaration of interest We certify that no party having a direct interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit on us or on any organization with which we are associated and, if suitable, we certify that all financial and material support for this research and work are clearly identified in the title page of the manuscript.