Does relative body fat influence the Movement ABC-2 assessment in children with and without developmental coordination disorder?
Extra body fat drags down kids’ M-ABC-2 balance scores—factor this in before labeling poor balance as DCD.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Robertson et al. (2013) asked if extra body fat changes Movement ABC-2 scores.
They tested kids with and without developmental coordination disorder.
All children did the balance, manual-dexterity, and aiming-catching tasks.
What they found
Higher body fat meant lower balance scores on the M-ABC-2.
The link showed up in both groups, not just the DCD kids.
Manual dexterity and aiming-catching stayed the same no matter the fat level.
How this fits with other research
Park et al. (2024) say the revised DCDQ is a solid screen, but E et al. warn body fat can tilt the gold-standard M-ABC-2 balance scale.
Harris et al. (2025) took the idea to adults and found anxiety does NOT change movement, while E et al. show body fat DOES change movement scores in kids—two non-motor factors, two different answers.
Blomqvist et al. (2013) saw poorer balance in teens with intellectual disability even after controlling for BMI; E et al. show body fat alone hurts balance scores, so both papers agree body size matters.
Why it matters
Before you mark a low balance score as DCD, check the child’s body composition. If the child carries extra fat, poor balance may reflect physics, not neuromotor delay. Build this check into your assessment routine and, when needed, plan interventions that account for weight-related balance limits.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Note the child’s build on the score sheet; if balance is low and the child is heavy, re-test after a brief weight-supported activity before you write "suspected DCD."
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a condition that results in an impairment of gross and/or fine motor coordination. Compromised motor coordination contributes to lower levels of physical activity, which is associated with elevated body fat. The impact of elevated body fat on motor coordination diagnostic assessments in children with DCD has not been established. The purpose of this study was to determine if relative body fat influences performance on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, 2nd Edition (MABC-2) test items in children with and without DCD. A nested case-control, design was conducted within the Physical Health Activity Study Team longitudinal cohort study. The MABC-2 was used to assess motor coordination to categorize cases and matched controls. Relative body fat was assessed using whole body air displacement plethysmography. Relative body fat was negatively associated with the MABC-2 "balance" subcategory after adjusting for physical activity and DCD status. Relative body fat did not influence the subcategories of "manual dexterity" or "aiming and catching". Item analysis of the three balance tasks indicated that relative body fat significantly influences both "2-board balance" and "zig-zag hopping", but not "walking heel-toe backwards". Children with higher levels of relative body fat do not perform as well on the MABC-2, regardless of whether the have DCD or not. Dynamic balance test items are most negatively influenced by body fat. Health practitioners and researchers should be aware that body fat can influence results when interpreting MABC-2 test scores.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.09.016