Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Oct 27;8(10):e021734.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-021734.

Psychometric properties of gross motor assessment tools for children: a systematic review

Alison Griffiths  1   2   3 , Rachel Toovey  3   4 , Prue E Morgan  1 , Alicia J Spittle  3   4
Affiliations

Psychometric properties of gross motor assessment tools for children: a systematic review

Alison Griffiths et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Objective: Gross motor assessment tools have a critical role in identifying, diagnosing and evaluating motor difficulties in childhood. The objective of this review was to systematically evaluate the psychometric properties and clinical utility of gross motor assessment tools for children aged 2-12 years.

Method: A systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and AMED was performed between May and July 2017. Methodological quality was assessed with the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments checklist and an outcome measures rating form was used to evaluate reliability, validity and clinical utility of assessment tools.

Results: Seven assessment tools from 37 studies/manuals met the inclusion criteria: Bayley Scale of Infant and Toddler Development-III (Bayley-III), Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-2 (BOT-2), Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2), McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development (MAND), Neurological Sensory Motor Developmental Assessment (NSMDA), Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-2 (PDMS-2) and Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2). Methodological quality varied from poor to excellent. Validity and internal consistency varied from fair to excellent (α=0.5-0.99). The Bayley-III, NSMDA and MABC-2 have evidence of predictive validity. Test-retest reliability is excellent in the BOT-2 (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)=0.80-0.99), PDMS-2 (ICC=0.97), MABC-2 (ICC=0.83-0.96) and TGMD-2 (ICC=0.81-0.92). TGMD-2 has the highest inter-rater (ICC=0.88-0.93) and intrarater reliability (ICC=0.92-0.99).

Conclusions: The majority of gross motor assessments for children have good-excellent validity. Test-retest reliability is highest in the BOT-2, MABC-2, PDMS-2 and TGMD-2. The Bayley-III has the best predictive validity at 2 years of age for later motor outcome. None of the assessment tools demonstrate good evaluative validity. Further research on evaluative gross motor assessment tools are urgently needed.

Keywords: gross motor assessment; paediatrics; rehabilitation medicine; reliability; validity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses flow diagram detailing study selection.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Test–retest reliability of gross motor assessment tools. BOT-2, Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency second edition; ICC, intraclass correlation coefficient; MABC-2, Movement Assessment Battery for Children second edition; PDMS-2, Peabody Developmental Motor Scales second edition; TGMD-II, Test of Gross Motor Development second edition.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Inter-rater and intrarater reliability of gross motor assessment tools. ICC, intraclass correlation coefficient; MABC-2, Movement Assessment Battery for Children second edition; TGMD-II, Test of Gross Motor Development second edition.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Piek JP, Baynam GB, Barrett NC. The relationship between fine and gross motor ability, self-perceptions and self-worth in children and adolescents. Hum Mov Sci 2006;25:65–75. 10.1016/j.humov.2005.10.011 - DOI - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization. International classification of functioning, disability and health: ICF. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2001.
    1. Magalhães LC, Cardoso AA, Missiuna C. Activities and participation in children with developmental coordination disorder: a systematic review. Res Dev Disabil 2011;32:1309–16. 10.1016/j.ridd.2011.01.029 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Spittle AJ, Spencer-Smith MM, Eeles AL, et al. . Does the Bayley-III Motor Scale at 2 years predict motor outcome at 4 years in very preterm children? Dev Med Child Neurol 2013;55:448–52. 10.1111/dmcn.12049 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Logan SW, Robinson LE, Getchell N. The comparison of performances of preschool children on two motor assessments. Percept Mot Skills 2011;113:715–23. 10.2466/03.06.25.PMS.113.6.715-723 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types