Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA)

The SARA rates how severe a person's ataxia is by watching them do eight things. It was built for spinocerebellar ataxia but is now used across cerebellar disease generally.

Four items cover posture and movement of the whole body: walking a straight line and in tandem, standing in three progressively harder positions, sitting unsupported, and speech. Four more test limb coordination: chasing the examiner's finger, touching finger to nose, alternating hand movements rapidly, and sliding the heel down the opposite shin. Items carry different weights — gait is worth up to 8 points, sitting up to 4 — and the limb items are done on both sides with the average taken. Totals run 0 to 40, higher meaning more severe.

• PhenX Toolkit Protocol with Full Administration Instructions

Licensing Notes: The protocol is freely available and permission is not required for use, per the NIH-supported PhenX Toolkit. The developers specify administration by a trained clinician.

Learn More: Test contains both unilateral and bilateral hand use.