The Health Status Questionnaire: criteria for impairment and disability
| Domain Key questions | Criteria for impairment or disability (criteria for severe disability in bold) |
|---|---|
| Malformation | |
| Does the child have a malformation? | Any anomaly detected at birth or apparent within the first two postnatal years, which is likely to result in death, disfigurement or disability, and which is likely to require medical or surgical treatment (other than a simple cosmetic procedure) |
| Any malformation which despite physical assistance impairs the performance of daily activities | |
| Neuromotor function | |
| Does the child have any difficulty walking? | Non-fluent gait |
| Abnormal gait reducing mobility | |
| Unable to walk without assistance | |
| Does the child have any difficulty sitting? | Sits unsupported but unstable |
| Sits supported | |
| Unable to sit | |
| Does the child have any difficulty with hand use? | Some difficulty feeding with one hand |
| Some difficulty feeding with both hands | |
| Unable to use hands to feed self | |
| Does the child have any difficulty with head control? | Unstable but no support required |
| Unable to control head movement without support | |
| No head control | |
| Seizures | |
| Does the child have seizures? | No treatment required |
| No seizures on treatment | |
| Seizures less than 1/month despite treatment | |
| Seizures more than 1/month despite treatment | |
| Auditory function | |
| Does the child have any difficulty hearing? | Hearing impaired, not aided |
| Hearing impaired, corrects with aids | |
| Hearing impaired, uncorrected even with aids | |
| Communication | |
| Is there any difficulty with communication? | Unable to comprehend word/sign out of familiar context |
| Unable to comprehend word/sign in cued situation | |
| Uses single words only/vocabulary >10 words | |
| Vocabulary <10 words | |
| Unable to produce >5 recognisable sounds | |
| No vocalisation | |
| Visual function | |
| Does the child have any difficulty with vision? | Normal vision with correction |
| Not fully correctable | |
| Blind or sees light only | |
| Cognitive function | |
| Does the child have any learning difficulty? | Developmental quotient 2 to 3 SD below mean |
| Developmental quotient >3 SD below mean | |
| Other physical disability | |
| Does the child have any other disability? | Limited exercise tolerance, no drug treatment |
| Respiratory | Limited exercise tolerance, on drug treatment |
| Requires continual oxygen therapy | |
| Requires mechanical ventilation | |
| Gastrointestinal | Requires special diet |
| Has stoma | |
| Requires tube feeding | |
| Requires parenteral nutrition | |
| Renal | Renal impairment; no treatment |
| Renal impairment; drug or dietary treatment only | |
| Requires dialysis | |
| Growth | Height or weight 2 to 3 SD below mean for age |
| Height or weight >3 SD below mean for age |