Comparing a parent-report and a performance-based measure of children's motor skill abilities: are they associated?

Both parent-report and performance-based assessment approaches are used in occupational therapy practice to gather information about children's motor skill abilities. This study investigated whether an association existed between the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency- 2(nd) edition (BOT-2), a performance-based motor-skill assessment and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children - 2(nd) edition (MABC-2) Checklist, a parent-report scale of children's motor abilities. A convenience sample of 50 typically developing children aged 7-16 years were recruited. Scores from the BOT-2 and MABC-2 Checklist were analyzed using Spearman's rho correlations and linear regression analyses with several significant correlations found. The following BOT-2 derived scores were correlated with the MABC-2 Checklist: (1) BOT-2 subscales of Fine Motor Precision (rho = .33, p < .05), Manual Dexterity (rho = .28, p < .05), and Upper-Limb Coordination (rho = .39, p < .05); (2) the BOT-2 motor composite areas of Fine Motor Control (rho = .30, p < .05), and Manual Coordination (rho = .33, p < .05); and (3) the BOT-2 Short Form total score (rho = .28, p < .05). Regression analysis indicated that the MABC-2 Checklist was significantly associated with the BOT-2 Fine Manual Control and Manual Coordination composite area scores.