Suitability of the MABC checklist in the identification of 10 to 12 year old children with DCD in the North West Province

Abstract

In the area of assessing motor problems, no single test is yet considered the "gold standard". The Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC), developed by Henderson and Sugden (1992), uses two methods for the purpose of assessing motor problems: a motor performance test battery (MABC-n and a checklist (MABC-CL) and the latter is also the focus of this study. The aim of this study was firstly to examine the suitability of the MABC checklist as a screening device in the identification of different motor problem areas. A second aim was to examine whether class teachers in the North West Province of South Africa are reliable in using the MABC checklist as a screening tool for Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD) and if so, what questions showed the highest relationships with DCD. For the first aim of the study, Model C and state-subsidized class teachers from 22 different schools were engaged in obtaining results for the MABC performance test and the MABC checklist for a total of four hundred and forty nine North West Province children of four different ethnic origins: white (n=67), black (n=338), Coloured (n=23) and Indian (n=21) children participated in this study. For the second aim of the study, ninety-four boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 12 years were chosen to participate in the study. After the children had been evaluated on the MABC-T, class teachers were asked to complete the standard MABC-CL for each of the children. These scores were then compared to the scores obtained in the MABC-T. One month after the MABC-CL had been returned, a second checklist was sent to each class teacher (first aim subjects only) of a random selection of children (n=85) as a measure of test-retest reliability. The teachers (second aim subjects only) evaluated the questions and their ability to assess them, and hence 􀁟greed unanimously only to complete sections I and 5 of the standard MABC-CL for each of the children. Detailed instructions on the use of the MABC-CL together with an accompanying letter explaining the purpose of the checklist was given to the teachers beforehand. Descriptive statistics, item- and factor analyses (Cronbach alpha, Eigen values and communalities), correlation matrices and stepwise regression analyses were calculated using Statistica for Windows. The level of significance was set at p<0,05. The results regarding the first aim of the study suggested that the MABC-CL had good test-retest reliability and identified children with DCD to a limited degree. The effects of increasing task difficulty within the MABC-CL differed from other studies and the state-subsidized teachers from schools before had more difficulty in completing the checklist compared to the Model C teachers. The results regarding the second aim of the study suggested that the teachers had sufficient knowledge to complete sections I and 5 of the MABC-CL, and that they were rated as a reliable source in the assessment and screening of DCD in a country like South Africa with its own particular schooling conditions. Certain questions in section I, however, need better explanation to ensure proper assessment, which in turn might increase the reliability of the MABC-CL even further. DCD children experienced greater difficulties in all of the questions of sections I and 5 of the MABC­CL, when compared to the non-DCD group. From the results it seems as though children with severe DCD to a higher degree experience problems with questions related to disorganized behaviour, tasks which are dependent on bilateral co-ordination, handwriting and other fine motor abilities. The variance among DCD children is explained more by overall behavioural problems, compared to the total group where handwriting ability showed the highest contribution to the variance. From the results obtained, it can be concluded that further research needs to be done concerning the reliability and validity of the MABC-CL, and teachers within a South African context need to be educated in the use of the checklist to ensure reliable results. It is recommended that the content of the complete MABC-CL needs to be revised when considering the completion of such a checklist by class teachers only.