The Toddler Language and Motor Questionnaire: A mother-report measure of language and motor development.
A short mom-report checklist gives reliable language and motor scores for toddlers.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Gudmundsson (2015) built a 144-item checklist for moms. It asks about toddler language and motor skills.
Mothers of 2- to 4-year-olds filled it out. The team checked answers against a gold-standard test.
What they found
The scores split cleanly into two parts: language and motor. Both parts lined up well with the standard test.
The tool gives a quick, valid picture of how toddlers are doing in both areas.
How this fits with other research
Giofrè et al. (2014) did something similar with teachers. Their 2-minute MOQ-T also flags motor problems, but for older kids.
Storch et al. (2012) pooled data on very preterm toddlers. They show big visual-motor gaps. The TLMQ now gives parents a way to catch those same gaps at home.
Nicola et al. (2018) proved you can test motor skills over Zoom. Einar shows you can skip video and still get solid data with paper.
Why it matters
You now have a free, mom-friendly screener that takes 10 minutes. Use it during intake to spot language or motor delays early. If scores are low, move straight to full assessment and add motor goals to the plan.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study empirically evaluates the psychometric properties of a new mother-answered developmental instrument for toddlers, the Toddler Language and Motor Questionnaire (TLMQ). Mothers of 1132 15- to 38-month-old children filled out a 144-item instrument, tapping the toddlers' competences in five language and motor subtests. Concurrent validity was investigated in an independent sample by administering the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) individually to 47 children and the TLMQ to their mothers. A two-factor solution emerged in principal axis factor analyses with a promax rotation, with motor subtests loading high on one of the factors and the language subtests on the other. Toddlers' genders significantly affected outcome on all of the five subtests. Divergent and convergent correlations emerged between the TLMQ's motor composite and scales of the MSCA. Partially convergent and divergent correlations emerged between the TLMQ's language composite and scales of the MSCA. The findings show that young children's motor and language development can be reliably and validly assessed by using a psychometrically constructed questionnaire completed by mothers.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2015 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2015.07.007