Development and initial validation of the Gilboa functional test (GIFT): A unique measure for preschool graphomotor screening

Abstract

Introduction Fine motor and graphomotor skills are essential for children’s healthy development, as well as for successful participation in everyday activities. The Gilboa functional test (GIFT) is a newly developed norm-referenced screening instrument for use with children 3–6 years old. The aim of this study was to develop and validate the GIFT as a new measure for preschool graphomotor screening. Method A community-based sample of 611 children aged 3–6 years was screened. Findings Content validity was established via a panel of experts. The GIFT demonstrated good test–retest (0.95) and inter-rater reliability (0.94), demonstrating good concurrent validity in scores which significantly correlated with the Beery-VMI (r = 0.32, P < 0.05), the Beery-MC (r = 0.33, P < 0.05), the ‘manual dexterity’ subcategory of the movement assessment battery for children (r = –0.364, P < 0.05) and the total score of the developmental coordination disorder questionnaire ’07 (DCDQ’07)/little DCDQ (r = 0.41, P < 0.01). A significant difference in total GIFT scoring was found between children from mainstream versus special education preschools (t = 3.99, P < 0.001). Conclusion The GIFT is a unique tool that measures performance skills based on preschool children’s everyday activities. It can be used by paediatric occupational therapists as a first step for early identification of children potentially at risk for graphomotor/fine motor developmental delay.

Video-Conference-Based Graphomotor Examination for Children: A Validation Study

“…The gender differences seen in the GIFT-Online version are consistent with the gender differences found in the inperson version of the GIFT (Gilboa, 2017). These findings are in line with other screening instruments, such as the LDCDQ, the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), and the Systematic Screening for Handwriting Difficulties (SOS Test), where in all cases girls scored higher than boys (Morley et al, 2015;Pargulski & Reynolds, 2017;Taverna et al, 2020).…”

“…The inter-rater reliability was determined to be excellent, indicating highly consistent agreement between different assessors. These results were similar to the in-person GIFT version, where the final inter-rater reliability score was 0.95 (Gilboa, 2017). In addition, the results of the correlational analyses conducted across the entire sample and for each gender separately, between the GIFT-Online and other observational tools, namely the DCDQ'07/LDCDQ and the DPSQ, were also similar to the in-person GIFT version (Gilboa, 2017); thereby reinforcing the concurrent validity of the GIFT-Online.…”

“…These results were similar to the in-person GIFT version, where the final inter-rater reliability score was 0.95 (Gilboa, 2017). In addition, the results of the correlational analyses conducted across the entire sample and for each gender separately, between the GIFT-Online and other observational tools, namely the DCDQ'07/LDCDQ and the DPSQ, were also similar to the in-person GIFT version (Gilboa, 2017); thereby reinforcing the concurrent validity of the GIFT-Online. A recent narrative review of a musculoskeletal examination for children aged 3 to 18 conducted via telemedicine concluded that examinations performed in video-conference calls have been shown to have high inter-and intra-rater reliability, and concurrent validity, when compared with in-office visual evaluation (Noutsios et al, 2021).…”

“…The GIFT is a screening test originally designed for in-person assessment, which aims to identify preschool children suspected of having fine motor and/or graphomotor developmental delay. Although the GIFT-Online is still under research, the results of the current study indicated that its validity and reliability appear to be strong and similar to the in-person version (Gilboa, 2017).…”

“…The Gilboa Functional Test (GIFT). The GIFT (Gilboa, 2017) is a norm-referenced screening instrument for use with children aged 3 to 7 years, which measures performance skills based on everyday functioning. The GIFT includes 5 to 8 activities (depending on the child's age).…”