Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-Second Edition: A Reliable Tool for Assessing Motor Development in Children

Early identification of motor difficulties is essential in infancy and early childhood, and current American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations emphasize that motor surveillance should accompany routine clinical visits. One standardized tool widely used for evaluating motor development is the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-Second Edition (PDMS-2). This review summarizes the theoretical foundations and psychometric properties of the PDMS-2, the principles of administering and scoring the assessment, and evidence from validation and standardization studies conducted in different countries. A non-systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar (2000-February 2025) using the terms "PDMS-2" OR "Peabody Developmental Motor Scales Second Edition" combined with "reliability", "validity", "norms", "reference", or "standardization". Original and review articles published in English were included without geographical restrictions. The PDMS-2 is widely applied in both clinical and research contexts. It has been used as an outcome measure in randomized controlled trials, interventional, and observational studies involving preterm infants, children with genetic syndromes, metabolic disorders, cerebral palsy, congenital heart defects, HIV, oncological conditions, and typically developing children. Key strengths of the PDMS-2 include its broad age range, the ability to assess both gross and fine motor skills, and its quantitative scoring system, which supports diagnosis, therapeutic planning, and monitoring of developmental change. Although the tool has been validated and standardized in multiple countries, additional work is still needed to establish normative data for underrepresented populations.