Assessment of motor skills in 5-6 year old Italian children using the MABC-2: a preliminary study

Abstract

The Movement Assessment Battery for Children - Second Edition (MABC-2) is a standardized test used to assess movement skills in children aged between 3-16 years old and to diagnose developmental coordination disorders (DCDs). Monitoring movement skills in children’s is crucial to ensuring their proper physical development, as movement difficulties affect other areas of learning. In particular, it was interesting to investigate the role of gender and age in relation to different movement skills, as their development is influenced by genetic potential, in order which variables can help teachers to predict movement difficulties. The aim of the present study was to quantify the children's movement performance and to analyze the influence of gender, age and the gender x age interaction on movement performance. Methods: The sample consisted of 102 children aged between 5-6 years old from kindergartens. The MABC-2 was used to assess the children's movement performance, which comprised three sub-sections: manual skills, ball skills and balance skills. MANOVA was performed to assess the impact of gender, age and gender x age on performance. Chi Square was used to test differences in movement difficulties among gender. Results: The results showed a significant impact of both gender and age on performance individually, with a significant interaction effect of gender and age on performance. Conclusions: 12 children had several movement difficulties, while only 9 were at risk of DCDs, requiring ecological intervention.