Development of Gross Motor Evaluation for Children Aged 18 to 42 Months

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Developmental Psychology
• Motor Development

Background:

• Gross motor development is crucial for early childhood milestones.
• Accurate assessment tools are needed for early identification of developmental delays.
• Existing instruments may not fully capture the nuances of gross motor skills in toddlers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability and validity of the gross motor section of the Hong Kong Comprehensive Assessment Scales for Toddlers (HKCAS-T).
• To establish HKCAS-T as a dependable tool for quantifying gross motor development in children aged 18 to 42 months.

Main Methods:

• The 37-item gross motor scale of the HKCAS-T was administered to 330 children (18-42 months).
• Participants included 258 typically developing children and 72 children with diagnosed gross motor delay.
• Rasch analysis was employed to assess item fit and overall scale properties.

Main Results:

• Rasch analysis confirmed acceptable fit statistics for all 37 items.
• The HKCAS-T demonstrated the ability to differentiate between typically developing children and those with gross motor delays.
• The instrument also showed effectiveness in distinguishing between children of different age groups.
• High raw score reliability was confirmed with a KR-20 of 0.94.

Conclusions:

• The HKCAS-T gross motor scale is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing young children.
• It presents a promising alternative for the quantitative assessment of gross motor development in toddlers.
• This tool can aid in the early identification and management of gross motor delays.