Development and validation of the computerized bilateral motor coordination test.
A quick computer game spots bilateral motor problems in preschoolers as well as longer paper tests.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team built a computer game that watches kids move.
Cameras track both hands while 4- to 6-year-olds tap and clap.
Software scores how well the two sides work together.
They checked if the scores matched real coordination problems.
What they found
The test got it right 86% of the time.
It caught kids with issues 87% of the time and ruled out kids without issues 86% of the time.
Those numbers are high enough for a screener.
How this fits with other research
Wuang et al. (2012) compared three old paper-and-pencil motor tests.
All worked, but PDMS-2 came out on top.
Chin-Kai’s new computer test now gives similar accuracy without stopwatches or checklists.
Patton et al. (2020) used wrist accelerometers to watch real-world arm use.
Their tech also spotted asymmetry, but the computer game adds a quick, clinic-friendly option.
Mukherjee et al. (2021) reviewed infant tech tools and found most still need more proof.
This preschool test is one of the few already validated.
Why it matters
You now have a five-minute, objective way to flag bilateral coordination issues before kids hit kindergarten.
Use the computer test during intake; if the score is low, move to PDMS-2 for depth and start goal writing early.
Early, precise motor data means you can write clearer objectives and show parents hard numbers as skills improve.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the validity of computerized scaling of bilateral, motor coordination in children 4-6 years of age. There were 623 children with an average age of 5, years and 2 months (standard deviation=6 months) that participated. The 290 girls (46.5%) and 333, boys (53.5%) were from a purposive sample taken from public and private kindergartens in Taiwan. The computerized bilateral motor coordination test included two subtests, bilateral coordination, movements and projected actions. The motion analysis, with mark position and contour motion, was, used to collect important variables from the subtests. Using the judgments of the experts as the, criterion standards, the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the tool were calculated to evaluate the, validity of the computerized bilateral motor coordination test. The accuracy, sensitivity, and, specificity of the bilateral coordination movement subtests were on average 83.9%, 86.4%, and 83.1%, respectively. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the projected action subtests were on average, 90.5%, 88.1%, and 90.4%, respectively. The computerized bilateral motor coordination tests showed, an average accuracy of 86.3%, a sensitivity of 87.0%, and a specificity of 85.8%. The computerized, bilateral motor coordination test could be a valuable tool when used to identify problems of bilateral, motor coordination and in permitting early intervention to remedy these problems.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2014 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.10.026