Comparison of Performance of Children from Chennai with Norms of Motor-free Visual Perception Test-4: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Abstract Background: Visual perception (VP) plays a vital role across various occupations, such as daily activities, academic performance, and social interaction. Many children are referred to occupational therapy with VP dysfunction, often accompanied by diagnoses such as developmental delay, learning difficulties, or neurological impairments. In India, health-care professionals, particularly occupational therapists, increasingly utilize the motor-free VP test-4 (MVPT-4), a test originally standardized among Western populations, to identify VP difficulties in children. However, studies suggest that using assessments standardized in different cultures may lead to inaccurate evaluations of visual perceptual skills, potentially underestimating or overestimating of these abilities. This underscores the importance of investigating the cultural influence on the visual perceptual abilities of Chennai children by comparing the performance of Chennai children with norms of MVPT-4. Objectives: The main purpose of this study was (a) To compare the performance of children from Chennai with norms of MVPT-4 and (b) To identify the influence of gender on MVPT-4. Study Design: This study employed a quantitative cross-sectional research design. Methods: A total of 150 children, aged 6.0–10.11 years, were selected from the community in Chennai using a convenience sampling approach. Children with good visual foundation skills were administered with MVPT-4. Results: Independent t-test revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the performance of children from Chennai and the norms of MVPT-4 in the age groups of 6.0–10.11 years. Notably, the results indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between genders on MVPT-4 among Chennai children. Conclusions: The study findings indicate that the performance of Chennai children is substantially better than the norms of MVPT-4.