Turkish adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the SATCo in infants and toddlers with Down syndrome

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Down syndrome (DS) is a genetic disorder characterized by hypotonia and laxity, with motor deficits that can lead to trunk control issues. This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control (SATCo) in children with DS. METHODS: In this prospective study, we included twenty-seven enrolled children with DS aged 6-18 months. We used Cronbach's alpha and the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) to evaluate internal consistency and intra/inter-rater reliability. Spearman's correlation coefficient between the SATCo and the Gross Motor Function Measure-88 (GMFM-88) was used to evaluate convergent validity. RESULTS: The Turkish SATCo demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and, high intra-rater and inter-rater reliability, with ICC values exceeding 0.90. Strong positive correlations were observed between the SATCo and the both GMFM sitting dimension and the GMFM total score. CONCLUSION: The Turkish SATCo enhances clinical specificity by enabling level-by-level assessment of segmental trunk control, and its established validity and reliability in children with DS further support its clinical utility. Furthermore, this tool provides a more accurate assessment of trunk stability and postural control, which may enable more targeted interventions and treatment plans for future studies.