Review of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition (BOT-2).

The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Bruininks, 1978) is a standardized, norm-referenced measure used by physical therapists and occupational therapists in clinic and school practice settings. This test recently was revised and published as the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition (BOT-2; Bruininks & Bruininks, 2005). The BOT-2 is an individually administered measure of fine and gross motor skills of children and youth, 4 through 21 years of age. It is intended for use by practitioners and researchers as a discriminative and evaluative measure to characterize motor performance, specifically in the areas of fine manual control, manual coordination, body coordination, and strength and agility. The BOT-2 has both a Complete Form and a Short Form. This review of the BOT-2 describes its development and psychometric properties; appraises strengths and limitations; and discusses implications for use by physical therapists and occupational therapists.

Measuring communicative participation: a review of self-report instruments in speech-language pathology.

PURPOSE: To assess the adequacy of self-report instruments in speech-language pathology for measuring a construct called communicative participation. METHOD: Six instruments were evaluated relative to (a) the construct measured, (b) the relevance of individual items to communicative participation, and (c) their psychometric properties. RESULTS: No instrument exclusively measured communicative participation. Twenty-six percent (n = 34) of all items (N = 132) across the reviewed instruments were consistent with communicative participation. The majority (76%) of the 34 items were associated with general communication, while the remaining 24% of the items were associated with communication at work, during leisure, or for establishing relationships. Instruments varied relative to psychometric properties. CONCLUSIONS: No existing self-report instruments in speech-language pathology were found to be solely dedicated to measuring communicative participation. Developing an instrument for measuring communicative participation is essential for meeting the requirements of our scope of practice.

The effects of peer-play level on initiations and responses of preschool children with delayed play skills.

The potential impact of peer-play opportunities on the overall development of young children has been well-documented in the social development, occupational therapy, and special education literature. However, the effect of peer characteristics on the manifestation and facilitation of specific types of play roles and behaviors has received little attention. This topic is of key importance to occupational therapists who are striving to develop interventions that enhance the development of social participation and play in preschool children. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in initiation and response exhibited by preschool-aged children with social-play delays when participating in free-play dyads with peers of differing developmental levels. A single-subject alternating treatments design was replicated across five preschool-aged children with developmental play delays. Each child was paired with one peer who had lower developmental play skills and one peer who had higher developmental play skills. The arranged dyads were given the opportunity to play together in a specially designed playroom at their school. Their interactions were videotaped and later coded. All five children generally showed more initiation and response to initiation during play with higher-level peers, although one participant showed less differentiation for initiation than the other four children. An occupational therapist working with a preschool child with play delays and wanting to facilitate the child's initiation and response in play situations should consider pairing the child with play delays with a child who has higher play skills.

The effects of a contoured foam seat on postural alignment and upper-extremity function in infants with neuromotor impairments.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Physical therapists and occupational therapists frequently use adaptive seating devices to improve stability in sitting for children with neuromotor impairments. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a contoured foam seat (CFS) on postural alignment and on the ability of infants with neuromotor impairments to engage with toys. Parental perceptions regarding the use and effects of the CFS also were assessed via semistructured interviews. SUBJECTS: Subjects were 4 infants, ages 9 to 18 months, who were unable to sit independently. METHOD: A time-series, alternating-treatments design was used, with data collected under 3 conditions: (1) a regular highchair, (2) a regular highchair with a thin foam liner, and (3) a CFS used as an insert in a regular highchair. The primary dependent measures were postural alignment and engagement with toys. Engagement with toys was defined as percentage of intervals with 2 hands on a toy and percentage of intervals with no hands on a highchair tray and 1 or 2 hands on a toy. RESULTS: Results showed a sustained effect of the CFS on improving postural alignment for all subjects. Effects of the CFS on increasing the number of intervals of bimanual play were not demonstrated for any subjects, although some improvement in the infant's ability to free the arms from support was observed for 2 subjects. Mothers reported acceptability of the CFS for everyday use and described benefits for themselves and their infants. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The results support the use of a CFS for improving postural alignment. Future research on adaptive seating should focus on interventions and outcomes that help children participate in functional activities relevant to them and their families.