[Evaluation of tactile-kinesthetic perception in preschoolers: comparison of methods]

Tactile-kinesthetic perception (TKP) is the processing, arrangement, evaluation, and integration of sensations, which are transmitted via both surface and depth sensibility. In the phoniatric field TKP is of special importance for speech development. In this study, two German diagnostic test procedures for the assessment of TKP, i.e. the 'Diagnostischer Elternfragebogen zur taktil-kinasthetischen Responsivitat' (DEF-TK) and the 'Gottinger Entwicklungstest der taktil-kinasthetischen Wahrnehmung' (TAKIWA), were evaluated in 30 preschool children. The DEF-TK could not be analyzed in 14/30 of the children because of too many unobservable (not missing) items. This result does not correspond with data presented in the test manual but with results obtained in a former study of the reporting group. Three quarters of the children showed abnormal tactile-kinesthetic features in their DEF-TK, whereas in the TAKIWA test, a quarter of the children were found to have abnormal TKP. The DEF-TK questionnaire is not suited for clinical purposes. The nosologic and prognostic value of the TAKIWA has to be investigated in the future.