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Updated: Dec 29, 2025
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
A parent-reported standardised checklist is not sensitive to screen for motor problems at school age following
Leontien C C Toussaint-Duyster1,2, Monique H M van der Cammen-van Zijp1,2, Dick Tibboel1
1Department of Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Insights
The Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition (MABC-2) Checklist is not sensitive enough for screening motor problems in children who survived critical neonatal illness. It may offer insights into parental perceptions of motor performance.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric critical care medicine
- Developmental pediatrics
- Rehabilitation medicine
Background:
- Increasing survival rates of children from neonatal critical illness necessitate evaluation of long-term morbidities.
- Motor impairments are a significant concern for school-aged children with a history of neonatal critical illness, including severe anatomical anomalies or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of the parent-reported Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition (MABC-2) Checklist as a screening tool for motor problems in school-aged children with a history of neonatal critical illness.
- To determine the sensitivity and specificity of the MABC-2 Checklist in this specific pediatric population.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from 190 children (60.0% male) in a multidisciplinary follow-up program, assessed at ages five, eight, and/or 12 years.
- Parents completed the MABC-2 Checklist before a physical therapist administered the MABC-2 Test to assess the child's motor performance.
- Calculation of sensitivity and specificity using a cut-off point at the 16th percentile.
Main Results:
- The MABC-2 Checklist demonstrated a sensitivity of 57.1%, indicating that 42.9% of children at risk for motor problems were missed.
- The specificity of the MABC-2 Checklist was determined to be 79.1%.
Conclusions:
- The MABC-2 Checklist's low sensitivity indicates it is insufficient as a standalone screening tool for motor problems in survivors of neonatal critical illness.
- The checklist may still be valuable for understanding parental perspectives on a child's motor function and for guiding lifestyle advice.
Aim:
As nowadays more children survive neonatal critical illness, evaluation of long-term morbidities becomes more important. We determined whether the parent-reported Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition (MABC-2) Checklist is a proper tool to screen for motor problems in school-aged children born with severe anatomical anomalies and/or treated with neonatal extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
Methods:
We analysed data of 190/253 children (60.0% male) participating in our multidisciplinary follow-up programme who were routinely assessed at the ages of five, eight and/or 12 years. Parents completed the Checklist prior to assessment of the child's actual motor performance by a physical therapist using the MABC-2 Test. The sensitivity and specificity of the Checklist with a cut-off point of the 16th percentile were determined.
Results:
The sensitivity of the MABC-2 Checklist was 57.1%, which implies that 42.9% of the children at risk for motor problems were not identified. The specificity was 79.1%.
Conclusion:
The low sensitivity of the MABC-2 Checklist suggests that this instrument does not suffice to screen for motor problems in children who survived neonatal critical illness. Yet, it may help to gain insight in parental perceptions of the child's motor performance and to provide tailored advice on lifestyle.
