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Reliability and validity of a parent questionnaire on childhood motor skills
B N Wilson1, B J Kaplan, S G Crawford
1Behavioural Research Unit, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Centre, Calgary, Canada. brenda.wilson@crha-health.ab.ca
Insights
The Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ) is a parent-reported tool that effectively identifies motor difficulties in children. This validated questionnaire aids occupational therapists in assessing children
Area of Science:
- Child development
- Motor skills assessment
- Occupational therapy
Background:
- Clumsiness in children has significant consequences, necessitating reliable measurement tools.
- Parental reports offer valuable insights into a child's motor skill history and perceived difficulties.
- Existing tools may not adequately capture the nuances of motor challenges in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a parent-reported questionnaire for identifying motor difficulties in children.
- To create a tool that is succinct, easy to administer, and clinically useful.
- To provide a reliable method for early identification of potential developmental coordination disorder.
Main Methods:
- Development of a 17-item parent questionnaire, the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ).
- Involved a sample of 306 children in the questionnaire's development and validation.
- Examined internal consistency, concurrent validity, and construct validity through correlation with standardized tests and factor analysis.
Main Results:
- The DCDQ successfully differentiated children with and without motor problems, as confirmed by standardized tests.
- Significant correlations were found between DCDQ scores and standardized motor assessments.
- Two additional studies corroborated the construct validity of the DCDQ, with factor analysis revealing four distinct factors.
Conclusions:
- The Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ) is a concise and effective measure for occupational therapists.
- The DCDQ aids in the identification and characterization of motor difficulties in children.
- This parent-reported tool supports early intervention and management of motor challenges.
Objective:
As the consequences of clumsiness in children become better understood, the need for valid measurement tools is apparent. Parent report has the potential for providing historical knowledge of the child's motor skills, as well as perceptions of their children's motor difficulties. The objective was to develop a parent questionnaire to identify motor difficulties in children.
Method:
A sample of 306 children participated in the development of a 17-item parent questionnaire, called the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ). Internal consistency, concurrent and construct validity were examined.
Results:
The DCDQ proved capable of distinguishing children who had motor problems (as measured by standardized tests) from children without motor problems. Correlations with standardized tests were significant. Two other studies confirmed the construct validity of the DCDQ. Factor analysis revealed four distinct factors, useful in defining the nature of the difficulties.
Conclusion:
The DCDQ is a succinct and useful measure for use by occupational therapists.