Performance consistency in various motor assessments performed by children with Developmental Coordination Disorder

Jennifer Chuang, BBA & Dr. Priscila Caçola Developmental Motor Cognition Lab, Department of Kinesiology,

The University of Texas at Arlington

INTRODUCTION

PURPOSE

• Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) have low motor skills that include marked delays in achieving motor milestones, poor balance, low coordination and handwriting difficulties.

• Because of the heterogeneous nature of this condition and its comorbidity with other disorders, it is difficult to develop a single profile of motor skill deficiencies in children with DCD and it remains unclear how a particular child with DCD may perform in an array of motor assessment batteries.

• The purpose of our experiment was to compare performance of children diagnosed with DCD through the use of three different assessments of motor skills.

• Bruininks-Oserestsky Test of Motor Proficiency – 2nd ed. (BOT-2):1. Fine manual control (FMC): • Fine motor precision - 7 items • Fine motor integration - 8 items

2. Manual coordination (MC):• Manual dexterity - 5 items • Upper-limb coordination - 7 items

3. Body coordination (BC):• Bilateral coordination - 7 items • Balance - 9 items

4. Strength and agility (SA):• Running speed and agility - 5 items • Strength - 5 items

All composites are combined resulting in a total motor composite (TMC) score providing a general measure of motor ability.

• Test of Gross Motor Development – 2nd ed. (TGMD-2):• Locomotor (LM) - run, gallop, hop, leap,

horizontal jump, slide• Object Control (OC) - striking a stationary

ball, stationary dribble, catch, kick, overhand throw, underhand roll

• Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration – 6th ed. (Beery-VMI –6):• Visual Motor Integration (VMI) - 30 Items• Visual Perception (VP) - 30 Items• Motor Coordination (MC) - 30 Items

METHODS RESULTS

CONCLUSION

• In general, the results suggest that low performance across an array of motor assessments is consistent in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder, regardless of the type of the assessment.

• Comorbid behavioral and emotional issues pervading the disorder causes difficulties assigning a singular profile of motor skill deficiencies to a child diagnosed with DCD. However, consistent low performance in multiple motor assessments can provide a pathway to understanding additional similarities within the disorder.

• Further studies are necessary to explore detection and consistency of motor difficulties in children with DCD.

Developmental Motor Cognition

Lab

RESULTS

METHODS

• 4 participants (3 males, 1 female), all children 7 years of age.

• DCD diagnosis involved parent referral and was confirmed with screening tests:• Kaufmann Brief Intelligence Test – 2nd ed.

(KBIT-2) – 2 average, 1 above average, 1 upper extreme

• Movement Assessment Battery for Children – 2nd ed. (MABC-2) – all below the 2nd percentile

• All children were assessed with the BOT-2, TGMD-2, and Beery-VMI-6. The order of the assessments was counterbalanced.

Table 1. Participant Percentiles and Categories for BOT-2

Child 1 Child 2 Child 3 Child 4

FMC 10th, Below Average

31st, Average

7th, Below Average

3rd, Below Average

MC 42nd , Average

2nd, Well Below Average

5th, Below Average

10th , Below Average

BC 10th, Below Average

14th, Below Average

5th, Below Average

5th, Below Average

SA 14th, Below Average

27th, Average

18th, Average

<1st , Well Below Average

TMC 10th, Below Average

8th, Below Average

5th, Below Average

1st, Well Below Average

Child 1 Child 2 Child 3 Child 4

VMI (percentile)

2.5th 42nd 34th 30th

VP Average Average High Below Average

MC Below Average

Below Average

Below Average

Very Low

Child 1 Child 2 Child 3 Child 4

LM 9th 9th 9th <1st

OC 1st 1st 1st 2nd

Overall <1st,Very Poor

<1st,Very Poor

<1st,Very Poor

<1st,Very Poor

Table 2. Participant Percentiles and Categories for TGMD-2

Table 3. Participant Percentiles and Categories for Beery-VMI-6

• The comprehensiveness of the BOT-2 showed each child’s unique strengths and weaknesses. Of all tests, children had the most difficulties with the TGMD-2, demonstrating that gross motor skill performance, though not part of the DCD diagnosis, is a good indicator of motor difficulties. VMI scores confirmed the specific difficulties with manual coordination, as children did not have problems with the visual perception scale