Hypertonia Assessment Tool (HAT)

The Hypertonia Assessment Tool (HAT) is a research and clinical guide for identifying the different types of hypertonia in the paediatric population. It helps both researchers and clinicians to identify when spasticity and dystonia are present:

• The HAT is used in research settings to better describe the participants’ hypertonia sub-type. 
• For clinicians, it helps to identify when spasticity, dystonia or mixed tonal patterns are present which can help to guide treatment and/or diagnostic decisions.
  
  

The HAT is a validated tool for identifying spasticity, dystonia, mixed-tone, and the absence of rigidity.

Developed by Dr. Darcy Fehlings and her team in the Cerebral Palsy Discovery Lab in the Bloorview Research Institute, and in conjunction with Dr. Jon Mink, Dr. Anne Kawamura and the Childhood Motor Task Group, the HAT is a seven-item tool that has been developed for children and youth between the ages of four to 19 years.