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Validity of the DF-MOT to detect motor developmental delays in preterm children: A comparative study with the
Ludovic Legros1, Gilda Delens2, Sophie Zaczek3
1Departement of Neonatal Intensive Care, CHIREC-Delta Hospital, 1160 Brussels, Belgium; Follow-up Center for preterm infants, CHR Sambre et Meuse, 5000 Namur, Belgium.
Insights
The Motor Functional Development Scale for Young Children (DF-MOT) effectively assesses motor skills in preterm infants. It shows high accuracy for gross motor skills and enhanced sensitivity for detecting fine motor delays.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric developmental assessment
- Neonatal neurodevelopmental outcomes
- Motor development research
Background:
- The Motor Functional Development Scale for Young Children (DF-MOT) was initially developed for full-term infants.
- Preterm children may exhibit different motor developmental trajectories compared to full-term peers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate the DF-MOT for motor delay diagnosis in preterm children.
- To compare DF-MOT performance against the established Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III).
Main Methods:
- A prospective concurrent validity study was conducted.
- Seventy-six preterm infants (born <32 weeks gestational age) were assessed using DF-MOT and Bayley-III at corrected ages 9-30 months.
- Validation involved correlation analysis, ROC curve analysis, and diagnostic property assessment.
Main Results:
- Strong correlations were found between DF-MOT raw scores and Bayley-III for gross (r=0.95) and fine motor skills (r=0.94).
- The DF-MOT gross motor subscale demonstrated excellent diagnostic accuracy.
- The DF-MOT fine motor subscale showed high sensitivity for identifying fine motor delays, though accuracy varied.
Conclusions:
- The DF-MOT is a valid tool for assessing motor development in preterm children.
- The scale offers enhanced sensitivity for detecting fine motor delays in this population.
- DF-MOT provides practitioners with detailed, development-focused assessments for preterm infants.
Background:
The Motor Functional Development Scale for Young Children (DF-MOT) is a motor developmental scale originally designed and standardized for full-term children.
Aim:
To validate the DF-MOT for diagnosing motor delays in preterm children, using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III), as a reference.
Study Design:
Prospective concurrent validity study.
Method:
Seventy-six preterm children born before 32 weeks' gestational age were concurrently assessed at corrected ages of 9 to 30 months using the DF-MOT and the Bayley-III. Validation of the DF-MOT involved a three-step process: (1) raw and standardized scores correlation analysis, (2) receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to assess diagnostic accuracy, and (3) diagnostic properties analysis for the primary DF-MOT cut-offs.
Results:
Correlation analysis demonstrated very strong correlation for both gross and fine motor raw scores (r = 0.95 and 0.94, respectively), and strong to weak correlation for the standardized scores (ρ = 0.66 and 0.28, respectively). The DF-MOT gross motor subscale (DF-MOT/PML) exhibited excellent diagnostic accuracy on the ROC curve analysis and good diagnostic properties at -1 standard deviation, while the fine motor subscale (DF-MOT/EHGC) appeared to be less accurate in diagnosing delay with the Bayley-III. This disparity in fine motor evaluation seems to be linked to the DF-MOT/EHGC's greater sensitivity to identify fine motor delays.
Conclusion:
The DF-MOT is a valid developmental tool for assessing motor skills in preterm children, offering enhanced sensitivity in detecting fine motor delays. It may provide practitioners with in-depth, development-focused assessments.
