Reliability and responsiveness of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children–Second Edition Test in children with developmental coordination disorder

Abstract

DCDDevelopmental METHOD One hundred and forty-four Taiwanese children with DCD aged 6 to 12 years (87 males, 57 females) were tested on three separate occasions: two baseline measurements with a 20-day interval before the intervention, and a follow-up measurement after 6 months of rehabilitation. The therapists rated the performance of children in school-related physical tasks at baseline and after intervention. RESULTSInternal consistency for the MABC-2 Test was a = 0.90. Test-retest reliability for the total score was excellent, with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.97. A small to medium magnitude of treatment effect was captured by the MABC-2 Test. The minimal detectable change (MDC) was 0.28 points whereas the minimal important difference (MID) values were from 2.36 to 2.50. All subscales except balance showed acceptable validity in differentiating groups of children whose physical performance had improved or remained stable.INTERPRETATION The MABC-2 Test is a reliable and valid measure to assess motor competence in children with DCD. The MID and MDC scores provide the reference point for clinical decisionmaking in managing the individual child.Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is one of the most commonly reported disorders in school-age children, with prevalence rates of up to 6%. 1 A most recent UK population-based study found that 1.8% of 7-year-olds have DCD according to strict Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) criteria.2 These children form a heterogeneous group, differing in the extent of their motor difficulties and the extent to which they display other conditions such as attention deficits, speech ⁄ articulation difficulties, and non-verbal learning disabilities.3,4 Several studies have shown that children with DCD are at greater risk of developing secondary impairments (e.g. decreased strength and lack of fitness) owing to their limited participation in physical activity. 5,6 Furthermore, in the absence of intervention, many of the these abnormalities persist into adulthood and might continue to interfere with performance in various aspects of community functioning. As a result, early identification and therapeutic intervention is particularly important to enhance motor function and promote success in school and daily living in children with DCD. To monitor the effectiveness of an intervention, it is crucial to use reliable and sensitive measures that are able to yield consistent results across repeated measurements and detect subtle changes in motor function.The Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC) 7 is one of the most widely used measures for identifying impairments in motor performance of children and has been translated into several major European and Asian languages, such as Italian, Chinese, and Japanese. [8][9][10] The second edition 11 is an updated version of the original MABC and differs from the first in several respects, including age extension, reduction of age bands from four to three, item revision and addition o...

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“…Five months after reinitiation of ERT, the patient achieved a Total Test Score of 73 on his MABC assessment, ranking him in the 37th percentile. A minimal detectable change (MDC) for the MABC has been reported as 1.21 points, representing a true change in motor function [13]. The results in this child show an increase of 5 points over 5 months, which is greater than the minimal important difference (MID) of the MABC, which has been reported as a change of 2.5 points shown over 6 months [13].…”

“…A minimal detectable change (MDC) for the MABC has been reported as 1.21 points, representing a true change in motor function [13]. The results in this child show an increase of 5 points over 5 months, which is greater than the minimal important difference (MID) of the MABC, which has been reported as a change of 2.5 points shown over 6 months [13]. According to his occupational therapist, the patient presented with less fatigue on reassessment and was able to complete the full assessment, which he had initially been unable to accomplish.…”

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“…The MABC-2 has been validated as a developmental coordination test battery in several populations (Henderson et al, 2007). Test-retest reliability for the total score was excellent, with an intraclass correlation coefficient of .97 and internal consistency of .90 with Cronbach's alpha (Wuang, Su, & Su, 2012).…”

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“…Children who score less than 15th percentile are classified as at risk for DCD (Henderson, Sugden, & Barnett, 2007). Movement ABC-2 has shown good reliability and validity in various populations (Smits-Engelsman, Niemeijer, & van Waelvelde, 2011;Wuang et al, 2012). Two bin widths were used: > 16th percentile (which indicated scoring not classified as at risk for DCD; n = 18, mean age = 10.1 ± 1.9 yrs), and < 15th percentile (severe coordination difficulties; at risk for DCD; « = 15, mean age = 10.6 ± 1.7 yrs).…”