Construct validity of the PERF-FIT, a test of motor skill-related fitness for children in low resource areas.
A 12-item, low-equipment test validly separates 7-10-year-olds with DCD from peers, giving BCBAs a quick fitness screen.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team tested a 12-item tool called PERF-FIT. It checks motor-skill fitness in kids with little gear.
Children with DCD and typically developing peers aged 7-10 took the test. The study asked: can PERF-FIT tell the two groups apart?
What they found
PERF-FIT scores were higher for typically developing kids than for kids with DCD.
The tool showed low-to-moderate validity. It can flag motor-fitness gaps in low-resource settings.
How this fits with other research
Whitehouse et al. (2013) saw no fitness gap between DCD severity groups. Smits-Engelsman et al. (2020) did find a gap between DCD and typical peers. The difference is method: O et al. split DCD into severe and moderate levels, while Bouwien compared DCD to a control group.
Farhat et al. (2015) and Li et al. (2011) both showed kids with DCD score worse on fitness tests. Bouwien’s positive result lines up with these earlier negative findings: the new tool simply captures the same deficit more cheaply.
Perez et al. (2015) reviewed older tools like LE85 and MFM. PERF-FIT joins that list but needs only cones, a mat, and a stopwatch.
Why it matters
You can now screen motor-skill fitness in under 15 minutes with items you already own. Use PERF-FIT at intake to spot DCD kids who need extra strength or balance work. Track the short form every month to see if your motor interventions are working.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Given the relationship between physical fitness and motor performance a test battery was developed that measures both components combined. AIM: Following the development of the Performance and Fitness (PERF-FIT) battery, this study investigated the construct validity with the ultimate aim of identifying attributes that discriminate between different levels of motor abilities and anaerobic or musculoskeletal fitness. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 34 children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and 34 matched typically developing children participated (7-10 years). The PERF-FIT was used to examine known group validity. The PERF-FIT items were also compared to test items of well-known standardized tests to examine concurrent validity. RESULTS: Concurrent validity was found to be of the expected low to moderate magnitude. Children with DCD were consistently found to have lower levels of motor skill-related fitness compared to typically developing children. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The PERF-FIT seems to be a valid test to measure movement skills, musculoskeletal fitness and agility in children between the ages of 7 and 10 years in low resourced communities. The test seems to discriminate between gross motor skills, and agility and power in children with and without DCD.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2020 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103663