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Standardized motor assessments before the age of five predicting school-aged motor outcome including DCD: A
Amy De Roubaix1, Dominique Van de Velde1, Herbert Roeyers2
1Faculty of Medicine and Health Care Sciences, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Ghent University, Entrance 46, UZ Ghent, C. Heymanslaan 10, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
Insights
Standardized motor assessments before age five can identify early motor issues in children. However, no single tool consistently achieved 80% accuracy for predicting developmental coordination disorder.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Developmental Psychology
- Motor Development
Background:
- Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a common neurodevelopmental condition diagnosed in school-aged children.
- Early identification of motor difficulties is crucial for timely intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review standardized motor assessments used before five years of age.
- To evaluate their predictive value for DCD, complex Minor Neurological Disorder (cMND), and motor delay.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search across multiple databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, WoS, Scopus, CENTRAL, ERIC) and hand search.
- Inclusion of studies on non-Cerebral Palsy children only.
Main Results:
- Assessments like BSID, GMDS, NOMAS, and NSMDA show potential for detecting motor delay by age two.
- From age three, PDMS, GMDS, NSDMA, M-ABC-2, and CAMPB demonstrate promise.
- General Movements Assessment is linked to cMND but less effective for DCD detection.
- Predictive accuracy improves with age and in high-risk groups, but no instrument met 80% sensitivity and specificity.
Conclusions:
- Standardized motor assessments before age five are valuable for identifying early motor problems.
- Longitudinal research starting in infancy, with repeated assessments and clear diagnostic criteria, is essential.
- Further research is needed to improve the diagnostic accuracy of early motor assessments.
Aim:
Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder usually diagnosed at primary-school-age. This systematic review aimed to summarize available standardized motor assessments before five years of age predicting DCD, complex Minor Neurological Disorder (cMND) and motor delay assessed by a standardized motor test.
Methods:
A systematic search was performed in MEDLINE, CINAHL, WoS, Scopus, CENTRAL and ERIC. A hand search was executed. Only data of non-Cerebral Palsy children was included.
Results:
At or before two years, the BSID, motor subtests of GMDS, NOMAS, and NSMDA might be valuable in detecting school-aged motor delay, while starting at three years, the PDMS, motor subtests of GMDS, NSDMA, M-ABC-2, and CAMPB show promising results. General movements Assessment is associated with cMND, but does not seem sensitive enough to detect DCD. Predictive values are superior in high-risk groups and improve as children age. However, no assessment instrument reached 80% sensitivity and specificity.
Conclusion:
Standardized motor assessments before five years seem valuable in detecting early motor problems. More longitudinal research commencing in infancy, including multiple assessments over time and the implementation of clear diagnostic criteria is imperative.
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