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  2. Movement Assessment Battery for Children -- Second Edition

Movement Assessment Battery for Children -- Second Edition

Last Updated

Purpose

MABC-2 assesses motor performance and dexterity in children and adolescents by using a performance test and checklist

Link to Instrument

Acronym MABC-2

Area of Assessment

Activities of Daily Living
Coordination
Dexterity
Motivation
Range of Motion
Strength
Upper Extremity Function

Assessment Type

Performance Measure

Administration Mode

Paper & Pencil

Cost

Not Free

Cost Description

25 MABC-2 Performance Test Forms - $122.70
50 Checklists - $50.40

CDE Status

Not a CDE -- last searched 9/25/2024

Populations

Pediatric Disorders

Key Descriptions

  • MABC-2 has 3 age bands with different tasks for the performance test
    > 3-6 years old
    > 7-10 years old
    > 11-16 years old
  • Performance test has 8 items split into three categories:
    > Manual Dexterity
    > Ball Skills
    > Static and Dynamic Balance
  • Checklist is for children 5-12 years old
    > Completed by observer to assess how child performs motor activities in everyday situation and their feelings toward motor tasks

Number of Items

38 total items (8 on performance test and 30 on checklist)

Equipment Required

  • Examiner’s manual
  • Intervention manual
  • MABC-2 age band 1/2/3 record form
  • MABC-2 checklist
  • Peg board and 16 mushroom pegs
  • Lacing board and lace
  • Plastic cubes
  • Bank box and 16-coin set
  • Nuts and bolts triangle test
  • Floor mats
  • Balance boards
  • Tape measure
  • Pens
  • Tabletop mat
  • Bean bag
  • Plastic target disc
  • Tennis ball
  • Masking tape

Time to Administer

20-40 minutes

Time indicated is for performance test. Completing the checklist requires an additional 10 minutes.

Required Training

Reading an Article/Manual

Required Training Description

Reading the examiner’s manual and intervention manual included in MABC-2 kit

Age Ranges

Preschool Children

2 - 5

years

Child

6 - 12

years

Adolescent

13 - 17

years

Instrument Reviewers

Rudy Chiu, M.S., Drexel University, Division of Pre-Medical and Pre-Health Programs

Body Part

Upper Extremity

ICF Domain

Body Function
Activity
Participation

Measurement Domain

Activities of Daily Living
Motor

Professional Association Recommendation

None found -- last searched 9/25/2024

Considerations

  • Dutch, Portuguese, and Chinese versions are available
  • The original MABC was published in 1992. The MABC-2 has been revised with updated norms, extended age ranges, and improved scoring.

 

Pediatric Disorders

back to Populations

Standard Error of Measurement (SEM)

Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: (Wuang et al., 2012; n = 144, mean age = 7 years, 7 months)

  • SEM for Manual Dexterity = 0.31
  • SEM for Aiming & Catching = 0.92
  • SEM for Balance = 0.54
  • SEM for Total Score = 0.52

Minimal Detectable Change (MDC)

Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: (Wuang et al., 2012)

  • MDC for Manual Dexterity = 0.72
  • MDC for Aiming & Catching = 2.14
  • MDC for Balance = 1.26
  • MDC for Total Score = 1.21

Minimally Clinically Important Difference (MCID)

Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: (Wuang et al., 2012)

  • MCID for Manual Dexterity = 0.76
  • MCID for Aiming & Catching = 1.78
  • MCID for Balance = 0.52
  • MCID for Total Score = 2.36

Normative Data

Typically Developing Children: (Ellinoudis et al., 2011; n = 183, mean age = 50 (7.8) months)

  • Test 1:
    • Manual Dexterity: mean = 25.61 (6.15)
    • Aiming and Catching: mean = 23.86 (5.09)
    • Balance: mean = 32.73 (6.59)
    • Total Score: mean = 81.85 (14.70)
  • Test 2 (1 week after Test 1):
    • Manual Dexterity: mean = 26.21 (6.10)
    • Aiming and Catching: mean = 25.29 (5.36)
    • Balance: mean = 32.54 (6.82)
    • Total Score: mean = 84.05 (16.23)

Test/Retest Reliability

Typically Developing Children: (Ellinoudis et al., 2011)

  • Adequate test-retest reliability for Manual Dexterity (ICC = 0.82)
  • Excellent test-retest reliability for Aiming and Catching (ICC = 0.96)
  • Excellent test-retest reliability for Balance (ICC = 0.90)

 

Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: (Wuang et al., 2012)

  • Excellent test-retest reliability for Manual Dexterity (ICC = 0.97)
  • Excellent test-retest reliability for Aiming and Catching (ICC = 0.91)
  • Excellent test-retest reliability for Balance (ICC = 0.97)
  • Excellent test-retest reliability for Total Score (ICC = 0.97)

Interrater/Intrarater Reliability

Typically Developing Children: (Ellinoudis et al., 2011)

  • Excellent intra-rater reliability (ICC = 0.96)

Internal Consistency

Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: (Wuang et al., 2012)

  • Excellent internal consistency for Manual Dexterity (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.81)
  • Excellent internal consistency for Aiming & Catching (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.84)
  • Excellent internal consistency for Balance (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.88)

Criterion Validity (Predictive/Concurrent)

Predictive validity:

Typically Developing Children: (Ellinoudis et al., 2011)

  • Excellent predictive validity of Total Score using Manual Dexterity score (r = 0.74)
  • Excellent predictive validity of Total Score using Aiming & Catching score (r = 0.70)
  • Excellent predictive validity of Total Score using Balance score (r = 0.71)

 

Concurrent validity:

Children with and without Motor Impairments: (Schoemaker et al., 2012; n = 383, mean age = 6 years, 9 months; Dutch sample)

  • Adequate concurrent validity between total motor score from MABC-2 Checklist and total MABC-2 test score (r = -0.38)
  • Adequate concurrent validity between total score of Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire and total motor score from MABC-2 Checklist (r = -0.36)

Construct Validity

Construct Validity:

Dutch Children with and without Motor Impairments: (Schoemaker et al., 2012)

  • Excellent for MABC-2 Checklist (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.94)

 

Discriminant Validity:

Dutch Children with and without Motor Impairments: (Schoemaker et al., 2012)

  • Excellent when comparing mean total motor scores from MABC-2 Checklist between typically developing children and children with motor impairment/at risk for motor impairment at ages 5 (p < 0.001), 6 (p = 0.002), 7 (p < 0.001), and 8 (p = 0.002)

Floor/Ceiling Effects

Typically Developing Children: (French et al., 2018)

  • Using standard test protocols (n = 35, mean age = 9.5 (0.5), age range = 8-10; female = 20 (57%)), a high percentage of children reached top scores on 4 tasks (37-91%)
  • Testing children on higher age band items (n = 161, mean age = 9.1 (0.7), age range = 8-10, female = 103 (64%)), this ceiling effect was reduced but still present on 3 tasks (45-78%)
  • Modifying and re-testing these 3 tasks (n = 81, mean age = 8.6 (1.7), age range = 7-10; female = 44 (54%)) still showed strong ceiling effects (32-79%)
  • MABC-2 appears to be designed to discriminate between performances only at the lower end of the scale to identify children with motor impairments

Bibliography

Brown, T., & Lalor, A. (2009). The Movement Assessment Battery for children—second edition (MABC-2): A review and Critique. Physical & Occupational Therapy In Pediatrics, 29(1), 86–103. https://doi.org/10.1080/01942630802574908 

Ellinoudis, T., Evaggelinou, C., Kourtessis, T., Konstantinidou, Z., Venetsanou, F., & Kambas, A. (2011). Reliability and validity of age band 1 of the Movement Assessment Battery for children – second edition. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 32(3), 1046–1051.

French, B., Sycamore, N. J., McGlashan, H. L., Blanchard, C. C. V., & Holmes, N. P. (2018). Ceiling effects in the Movement Assessment Batter for Children-2 (MABC-2) suggest that non-parametric scoring methods are required. PLoS One, 13(6): e0198426 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0198426 

Schoemaker, M. M., Niemeijer, A. S., Flapper, B. C., & Smits-Engelsman, B. C. (2012). Validity and reliability of the Movement Assessment Battery for children-2 checklist for children with and without motor impairments. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 54(4), 368–375. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8749.2012.04226.x 

Wuang, Y.-P., Su, J.-H., & Su, C.-Y. (2012). Reliability and responsiveness of the Movement Assessment Battery for children-second edition test in children with developmental coordination disorder. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 54(2), 160–165. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8749.2011.04177.x 

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