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Can the Child Behavior Checklist be used to screen for motor impairment?
Jan P Piek1, Nicholas C Barrett, Murray J Dyck
1School of Psychology, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. j.piek@curtin.edu.au
Insights
The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) shows some relationship to motor ability in children, but its "Clumsy" and "Not liked" items are not reliable for diagnosing motor impairment.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Behavioral Assessment
Background:
- The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) is a widely used behavioral screening tool for children.
- Its utility in identifying specific developmental impairments, such as motor impairment, requires validation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the validity of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) as a screening tool for identifying motor impairment in children.
- To assess the predictive value of specific CBCL items for motor ability.
Main Methods:
- 398 children (ages 3y 9m to 14y 10m) were assessed for motor ability using the McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development.
- Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).
Main Results:
- The CBCL 'Clumsy' item predicted motor ability independently of age, sex, and other CBCL scores.
- Sensitivity of the 'Clumsy' item for motor impairment was low (16.7%), though specificity was high (93.2%).
- The CBCL item 'Not liked' also significantly predicted motor impairment.
Conclusions:
- While 'Clumsy' and 'Not liked' items on the CBCL correlate with motor ability, they are insufficient for categorizing children as motor impaired.
- Further research with clinical samples, particularly those with developmental disorders like ADHD, is needed to clarify the role of these items.
Aim:
It has been suggested that one approach to identifying motor impairment in children is to use the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) as a screening tool. The current study examined the validity of the CBCL in identifying motor impairment.
Method:
A total of 398 children, 206 females and 192 males, aged from 3 years 9 months to 14 years 10 months were assessed on the McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development to determine their motor ability. Parents completed the CBCL.
Results:
The 'Clumsy' item on the CBCL was found to predict motor ability independent of the child's age, sex, and scores on other items of the CBCL. However, the sensitivity of the 'Clumsy' item in terms of identifying motor impairment was found to be a low 16.7% compared with specificity of 93.2%. The item 'Not liked' was also found to be a significant predictor of motor impairment.
Interpretation:
Although the 'Clumsy' and 'Not liked' items were found to have a relationship with motor ability, they should not be relied upon to categorize children as motor impaired versus not impaired. It is possible that these items may be better indicators of motor impairment in children with developmental disorders such as attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder, but clinical samples are needed to address this.
