The movement assessment battery in Greek preschoolers: the impact of age, gender, birth order, and physical activity on motor outcome.
One in twenty Greek preschoolers already shows probable DCD, and sports participation boosts their motor scores.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Giagazoglou et al. (2011) screened 4- to 6-year-old Greek preschoolers with the Movement Assessment Battery. They wanted to know how many kids already showed probable Developmental Coordination Disorder. They also checked if age, gender, birth order, or sports participation changed motor scores.
What they found
About one in every twenty kids scored in the probable DCD range. Older kids, boys, and children who played sports had better motor scores. Birth order made no difference.
How this fits with other research
Kuang et al. (2025) used the same M-ABC tool and also found motor lags in at-risk preschoolers. Surprisingly, those kids moved just as much as peers, showing the lag comes before activity drop-off.
Green et al. (2011) followed boys with early motor problems and found they were less active five years later. Together the three papers draw a timeline: motor skill gaps appear first, then activity gaps widen.
Liang et al. (2026) pooled accelerometer data and confirmed kids with neurodevelopmental disorders get 13 fewer minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity each day. The Greek preschool data now sit inside that bigger picture.
Why it matters
Screen early and keep kids moving. If the M-ABC flags a 5-year-old, add fun gross-motor goals to the ABA plan right away. Schedule extra playground time, teach ball skills, and track progress monthly. Catching the lag before the activity drop-off gives you a bigger window to intervene.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Early identification of possible risk factors that could impair the motor development is crucial, since poor motor performance may have long-term negative consequences for a child's overall development. The aim of the current study was the examination of disorders in motor coordination in Greek pre-school aged children and the detection of differences in motor performance with regards to age, gender, participation in sports and order of birth in the family. Performance profiles on the movement ABC were used to classify 412 Greek children aged 4-6 years old. It appears from the results that the occurrence rate of probable developmental coordination disorders (DCD) was 5.4%. Significant differences were observed in all independent variables except the order of birth in the family. The findings reinforce the need for the evaluation of motor performance in preschool-aged children, in order specific individual motor profiles to be established for optimizing and adapting early intervention programs.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2011 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2011.06.020