Which items of the movement assessment battery for children are most sensitive for identifying children with probable developmental coordination disorder? Results from a large-scale study.
Catch a ball and walk heel-to-toe are the two best MABC-2 red flags for probable DCD.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team looked at every item on the Movement ABC-2. They asked which ones best spot kids with probable developmental coordination disorder.
The study used a big sample of school-age children. Some had motor delays and some were neurotypical.
They checked how often each item flagged the right kids and how often it missed.
What they found
Ball catching and heel-to-toe walking stood out. These two items gave large effect sizes and rarely gave false alarms.
Sensitivity got better as kids got older. The same items worked even better in upper grades.
How this fits with other research
Wu et al. (2020) did a similar job for autism. They found the best STAT cutoff for Taiwanese toddlers. Both papers show how to mine a test for its strongest single items.
Kou et al. (2019) also hunted for the best quick screen. Their 30-second eye-tracking clip for autism mirrors our ball-catch for DCD. One tool watches eyes, the other watches hands and feet.
Matson et al. (2008) warned that STAT accuracy dips before 14 months. We saw the opposite: MABC-2 items get sharper with age. Younger kids move less predictably, so motor items need the extra months.
Why it matters
You can shorten your motor screen to two tasks. Start with ball catching and heel-to-toe walking. If the child fails both, refer on. This saves clinic time and still catches most kids who need help.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
INTRODUCTION: Despite the widespread use of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, 2nd edition (MABC-2), little is known about the sensitivity or specificity of the individual items to detect probable Developmental Coordination Disorder (p-DCD). This study examined which specific MABC-2 items were most sensitive to identify children with p-DCD and which items would predict p-DCD. METHODS: Based on a large dataset including European and African children aged 3-16 years (n = 4916, typically developing (TD, 49.6 % boys); n = 822 p-DCD (53.1 % boys), Hedges' g was calculated to establish the standardized mean difference (SMD) between p-DCD/TD. SMDs were considered substantial when absolute values at or above 1.4. Sensitivity and specificity of the raw MABC-2 item scores predicting p-DCD/TD per age band (AB) were established with logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: AB1: Children with p-DCD performed substantially poorer on threading beads (SMD: -1.61) and jumping on mats (SMD: 1.61). By combining all items and the country of origin, the sensitivity was 61.7 % and specificity 98.6 %. AB2: Walking heel-to-toe forwards (SMD: 1.65) was substantially poorer in p-DCD. By combining all items and the country of origin, the sensitivity was 79.0 % and specificity 97.6 %. AB3: Catching a ball with the preferred (SMD: 1.8) or non-preferred (SMD: 1.61) hand, and for walking heel-to-toe backwards (SMD: 1.78) were substantially poorer in p-DCD. All items combined resulted in a sensitivity of 94.4 % and specificity of 99.6 %. CONCLUSION: Not all MABC-2 items are equally sensitive to distinguish between performances of p-DCD and TD. Despite the good specificity, the sensitivity was only moderate in AB1-2, the age at which children learn culturally influenced motor skills.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2025 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104904