Visual perception of five-year-old English-speaking children in Bloemfontein using the Beery VMI-6, DTVP-3 and TVPS-3

Abstract

Background and aim: The Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-motor Integration 6th edition . The latest editions of these three instruments have been released and are now available for use in South Africa. The Beery VMI-6 was published

Visual perception of five-year-old Afrikaans-speaking children in Bloemfontein using the Beery VMI-6, DTVP-3 and TVPS-3: A follow up study of their English-speaking counterparts in Bloemfontein

“…Some visual perceptual assessment instruments categorise visual perception into motor-reduced and motor-enhanced sub-tests/sections 11 . For the purpose of this study the term visual-motor performance 7 refers to these motor enhanced sub-tests, such as visual-motor integration, visual-motor speed, and eye-hand coordination. The term visual-motor performance is used interchangeably in the literature with visual-motor functions, and visual motor skills 27 .…”

“…Assessment instruments used worldwide to specifically assess visual perceptual and visual-motor abilities include the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-motor Integration 6 th edition (Beery VMI-6) 4 , Development Test of Visual Perception 3 rd edition (DTVP-3) 5 and Test of Visual Perceptual Skills 3 rd edition (TVPS-3) 6 . The three assessment instruments explored in this study were designed and standardised in the United States (USA), and cultural differences may account for discrepancies in difficulty levels of some visual perceptual and visual-motor activities of these assessment instruments 7 . Hence the measurement properties and suitability of these instruments should be researched in the cultural context in which it will be used 8 .…”

“…In two South African studies 7,19 , the suitability of these tests has been described, indicating that certain aspects of these tests might not be suitable in their current form to be used with the diverse range of cultural, language and socio-economic groups represented in South African children. The performance of a sample of fiveyear-old English-speaking children in a previous study 7 indicated consistencies with sub-tests of the Beery VMI-6 and DTVP-3, but significant differences with most sub-tests of the TVPS-3.…”

“…Therapists in South Africa continue to show preference to use the both older and the newest versions of these tests 20,21 , because currently, no standardised contextual relevant or culture-specific visual perceptual and visual-motor assessment instruments are available. However, when such assessments instruments are used during the evaluation process, occupational therapists should be mindful of the manner in which they use these tests, interpret results and make recommendations for practice 7 . Furthermore, in countries where research has not been sufficient to describe the suitability, various authors have concurred that "clinicians should exercise caution when using an assessment instrument in communities and cultures outside the ones on which it was standardised" [22][23][24] .…”

“…The aim of this study was to describe the visual perception and visual-motor performance of five-year-old (5 years 6 months to 5 years 11 months) Afrikaans-speaking children in Bloemfontein, South Africa, by using the Beery VMI-6, DTVP-3 and TVPS-3 measurement instruments' accepted norms as a follow-up study, and to compare the results to previous findings on English-speaking children of a similar age 7 .…”