Nottle L.1, Ward E.1, Hillier S.1
1University of South Australia, School of Health Sciences, Adelaide, Australia
Background: Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD) affects approximately 5% of children. Screening and diagnostic tools can be time consuming and/or expensive. The South Australian Motor Test (SAM) is a low cost assessment which is considered time efficient for assessing for motor impairment in children.
Purpose: This cross-sectional cohort study determined the psychometric properties of sensitivity and specificity for the SAM compared to the Movement Assessment Battery for Children 2nd Edition (MABC-2) and also considered the feasibility factors of time and cost.
Methods: Children (n=560) aged 5-8 years were invited to participate in this study from five primary schools across metropolitan South Australia. Of those who consented, participants were then assessed using the MABC-2 and then the SAM. Results for each participant were recorded by one of the two trained assessors. The duration of each test was also recorded. Data analysis was undertaken using MedCalc, Social Sciences Statistical Software and Microsoft Excel.
Results: One-hundred and seventy-three children, 93 males and 80 females, mean age of 6 years and 0 months, were eligible and consented for the study. 46 children were diagnosed as having DCD and 127 without. The SAM had a sensitivity of 0.8636 and a specificity of 0.5354 compared to the MABC-2. When the cut off score for the SAM was changed from 3 to 2, the sensitivity decreased to 0.5652 and the specificity increased to 0.8504. The mean duration of the MABC-2 was 20 minutes and 23 seconds and for the SAM it was 4minutes and 34 seconds. Sensitivity and specificity of single subtests of the SAM were then determined using the MABC-2 as a reference standard. For single leg stance the sensitivity was 0.7391, for bounce ball and catch it was 0.5652 and for balance walking it was 0.6739. The specificity was 0.6142, 0.7165 and 0.7008 respectively.
Conclusion(s): The SAM is an effective screening tool for determining if a child has a motor impairment especially when screening large populations where time restrictions are a factor.
Implications: The SAM provides a sensitive, cost and time efficient alternative screening tool for identifying children with a motor impairment. These feasibility factors are important to consider due to the time constraints placed on health professionals and teachers in the present age.
Funding acknowledgements: None
Topic: Paediatrics
Ethics approval: Approved by the University of South Australia Human Research and Ethics Committee and the Department of Education and Childhood Development.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
