High intra- and inter-rater chance variation of the movement assessment battery for children 2, ageband 2.
MABC-2 ageband 2 is too unreliable for single-child progress monitoring—look for >18-point change before trusting it's real.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Holm et al. (2013) checked how much two raters agree when they score the same child with the MABC-2, ageband 2. They also looked at how much one rater scores change when they rate the same child twice. The kids were typical-developing school-age children.
What they found
The scores jumped around a lot. Different raters often gave very different numbers to the same child. Even the same rater changed their own scores the second time. The paper says the test is too shaky to track one child's progress over time.
How this fits with other research
Bakke et al. (2017) seems to disagree. They adapted the same ageband 2 test for kids with low vision and found strong rater agreement. The difference: they used clearer scoring rules and extra training. That shows the tool can be trusted if you tighten the procedure.
Ellinoudis et al. (2011) and Hua et al. (2013) both report good reliability, but they tested ageband 1, not ageband 2. So the MABC-2 works fine for preschoolers, but the elementary-age band needs more care.
Leung et al. (2014) also found good reliability, yet they mixed all agebands together. Inger's narrow focus on ageband 2 reveals a weak spot the broader study missed.
Why it matters
If you use the MABC-2 for school-age kids, do not trust small score changes. Wait for a jump of at least 18 points before you say the child really improved. Better yet: re-train raters, use video scoring, and double-score every child. These steps shrink the noise that Inger caught.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Double-score your next MABC-2 ageband 2 assessment and compare; if scores differ by more than 18 points, re-train and re-test.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the intra- and inter-tester reliability of the movement assessment battery for children-second edition (MABC-2), ageband 2. We wanted to analyze the collected data, with adequate statistical methods, to provide relevant recommendations for physical therapists who are interpreting changes in the context of daily clinical practice. Forty-five healthy children, 23 girls and 22 boys with a mean age of 8.7±0.7 years, participated in the study, the inter-tester procedures were performed the same day and the intra-tester procedures within a one to two week interval. The statistical methods used were intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM), and smallest detectable change (SDC). The children had no failed items during the tests. The ICC values ranged from 0.23 to 0.76. The items "treading lace" and "one-board balance" showed the highest measurement errors both for the intra- and inter-rater reliability. The SDC(90%) values were 9.7 and 18.5 for the intra- and inter-rater reliability, respectively. The present study showed high intra- and inter-rater chance variation MABC-2, ageband 2. A change of more than ±9.7 and ±18.5 on the total test score (TTS) should be required to state (with a 90% confidence) that a real change in a single individual has occurred, for intra- and inter-rater testing, respectively. These findings may indicate that the MABC-2 might be more suitable for diagnostic or clinical decision making purposes, than for evaluation of change over time.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2012.11.002