Homogeneity in Motor Competence Among Youths With Intellectual Disability With and Without Down Syndrome

Area of Science:

• Developmental psychology
• Motor development in children
• Disability studies

Background:

• Intellectual disability (ID) can impact motor skill development.
• Down syndrome (DS) is a common genetic condition associated with ID and motor challenges.
• The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-Second Edition (BOT-2) is a standardized assessment of motor skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate score homogeneity for youth with intellectual disability (ID) on 19 motor competence items of the BOT-2.
• To compare motor competence scores between youth with ID with and without Down syndrome (DS).
• To determine if BOT-2 scores differ based on the presence of DS in youth with ID.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 622 youth with ID aged 6 to 21 years.
• Examined performance on specific BOT-2 items assessing bilateral coordination, balance, and upper limb coordination.
• Analyzed score means to assess homogeneity across groups.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were found in the means for any of the 19 BOT-2 items between youth with and without Down syndrome (DS).
• Scores for youth with ID, regardless of DS status, did not differ from the population mean on these motor competence items.
• Demonstrated homogeneity of BOT-2 scores across groups.

Conclusions:

• The findings suggest that expected BOT-2 motor competence scores can be developed for youth with ID.
• These scores can be applied in clinical practice irrespective of whether the individual has Down syndrome (DS).
• Supports a unified approach to assessing motor competence in youth with ID.