Can the movement assessment battery for children-test be the "gold standard" for the motor assessment of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder?
The M-ABC Test alone is too shaky to diagnose DCD—stack it with other measures.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Fotini and colleagues looked at every paper that tested the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC).
They asked: is the test good enough to be called the gold standard for spotting Developmental Coordination Disorder?
The review covered how reliable, valid, and accurate the scores are for kids with DCD.
What they found
The evidence was thin. Few studies gave strong numbers on reliability or validity.
The authors say the M-ABC should not stand alone when you decide if a child has DCD.
How this fits with other research
Cheng et al. (2014) extend the story. They showed MABC-2 scores line up with visual-perception deficits in the same kids. The tool still flags real problems, even if its psychometrics are weak.
Van der Molen et al. (2010) add a warning: over 80 % of children with mild ID already score in the motor-impaired range on the MABC. If you trust the test alone, you may over-label kids who simply have slow motor development.
Hinckson et al. (2013) mirror the concern in a different domain. Their review found no gold-standard way to measure physical activity in children with intellectual disability. Across delays, we keep reaching for tools that have not earned the title.
Why it matters
Before you write "DCD" on a report, gather more data. Pair the M-ABC with a visual-perception test, check adaptive scores, and watch the child move in natural play. One score is not a diagnosis.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is an important risk factor in the development of children that can have a significant academic and social impact. This reinforces the need for its timely identification using appropriate assessment methods and accurate screening tests. The commonly used standardized motor test for the DCD identification is the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Test (M-ABC Test) (Henderson & Sugden, 1992). The aim of the present study was to examine if the M-ABC Test can be considered to be the "gold standard" for the motor assessment of children with the aforementioned disorder. For that purpose, a critical review of the extant literature regarding M-ABC Test's psychometric properties was conducted. Neither the test manual nor the studies reviewed provide support for the reliability and validity of the M-ABC Test results in children with DCD. Until sufficient evidence for its technical adequacy is accumulated, the M-ABC Test should not be used in isolation for children with DCD.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2011 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2010.09.006