Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 29, 2025
Computerized Adaptive Testing System of Functional Assessment of Stroke
Published on: January 7, 2019
Development of the Computerized Adaptive Test of Motor Development (MD-CAT) Adopting Multidimensional Rasch Analysis
Kuan-Lin Chen1, Chien-Yu Huang2, Cheng-Te Chen3
1Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan; Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan.
Objective:
This study aimed to develop the Computerized Adaptive Test of Motor Development (MD-CAT) in preschool children based on multidimensional Rasch analysis.
Design:
A retrospective study with cross-sectional design.
Setting:
A medical center.
Participants:
A total of 1738 children (N=1738).
Interventions:
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures:
MD-CAT.
Results:
Multidimensional Rasch analysis was used to develop the item bank of the MD-CAT. The item bank of the MD-CAT contained 74 items, with 44 and 30 items, respectively, for the subscales of gross and fine motor skills. High correlation existed between the 2 subscales (r=0.96). Three stopping rules were set for the MD-CAT: (1) the person reliability achieved 0.95 or the limited reliability increase by <0.01; (2) at least 3 items were assessed in each dimension; and (3) the number of items used for assessment reached 16. Based on the 3 stopping rules, the MD-CAT had high correlations with its total test length (r=0.87-0.98 for the 2 dimensions), indicating sufficient construct validity. The MD-CAT also had adequate diagnostic validity (area under the curve=0.72-0.93) and efficiency (an average of 3-6 items used for the assessment).
Conclusions:
The MD-CAT has high precision and efficiency, good construct validity, and high diagnostic validity. The results of our study indicate that the MD-CAT can be useful in clinical practice and in research as a diagnostic measure.
