Are boys and girls just different? Gender differences in the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, 2nd edition (M ABC-2) suggests that they are.

INTRODUCTION: The second edition of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M ABC-2) is a standardised, norm referenced assessment that is frequently used by therapists to identify children with motor difficulties. The norms for the M ABC-2 were derived from a sample of children in the United Kingdom (UK) and are combined across the age groups for boys and girls. The aims of this research were to investigate gender differences in the performance of 8- and 9-year-old Australian children and if the norms in our cohort differed from UK-based M ABC-2 norms. METHODS: Children aged 8 or 9 years of age who underwent major neonatal cardiac or non-cardiac surgery and healthy controls were assessed using the M ABC-2 as part of the Development After Infant Surgery (DAISy) study. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences in the scores for boys and girls aged 8- and 9-years old on the M ABC-2. Girls performed better than boys in manual dexterity and on total standard scores. Our control group compared to the assessment norms scored significantly poorer in manual dexterity, aiming and catching and total standard scores. CONCLUSION: Caution should be used when interpreting the results of the M ABC-2 for Australian 8- and 9-year olds. Contemporary Australian, gender-specific M ABC-2 norms should be considered. Further research is required to investigate gender differences and differences in performance of Australian children compared to the assessment norms in other age groups on the M ABC-2.

Comparison of the Properties of the Handwriting Speed Test (HST) and Detailed Assessment of Speed of Handwriting (DASH): An Exploratory Study.

BACKGROUND: Handwriting speed is an important component of students' ability to adequately express their ideas, knowledge and creativity in a timely and effective manner. AIMS: Psychometric properties of the Handwriting Speed Test (HST) and Detailed Assessment of Speed of Handwriting (DASH) and accuracy of the norms for identifying current Australian students with handwriting speed difficulties were examined. METHODS: An exploratory, cross-sectional study was conducted involving students, with and without handwriting difficulties, in Years 3-12 (mean age: 12.0 yrs, SD = 3.0 yrs; range = 7 to 18 yrs) in New South Wales (NSW; Australia). Participants were recruited through occupational therapists and schools. Students completed the HST and all DASH subtests. RESULTS: Thirty-two students with, and 139 students without, handwriting difficulties participated. Intra-rater and inter-rater reliability were found to be excellent; sensitivity was low and specificity high for the HST and DASH. No significant differences were found between test scores and normative data for students without handwriting difficulties (year/age groups with n > 10). CONCLUSIONS: The HST and DASH are reliable assessments of handwriting speed. Further research is required into discriminant validity of the HST and DASH and need for updated norms.

Searching for evidence in pediatric occupational therapy using free versus subscription databases: a comparison of outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: This study compared the results of searching free versus subscription databases and using brief versus comprehensive search strategies to locate evidence for three pediatric occupational therapy clinical questions. METHOD: Three clinical questions were nominated by practicing pediatric occupational therapists. Brief and comprehensive search strategies were then developed. Searches were conducted in three free-to-access databases and four subscription databases. RESULTS: Based on descriptive data, more relevant citations were retrieved using the subscription databases compared with the free databases and when using a comprehensive search strategy. Citations that were present in some databases were not always retrieved by the searches. This was mainly due to the inclusion of an insufficient number of search terms in the brief search strategies used in this study and a mismatch between terms used in the search strategies and the databases. CONCLUSION: Clinicians may need to use both subscription and free databases and use comprehensive search strategies to maximize retrieval of relevant articles to answer pediatric clinical questions.

Effect of rater training on reliability of Melbourne Assessment of Unilateral Upper Limb Function scores.

The aim of this study was to explore the effect of rater training on interrater reliability, internal consistency, standard error of measurement, and rater familiarity for the Melbourne Assessment of Unilateral Upper Limb Function. Twenty-four participants (raters) were randomly assigned to either 'trained' (n=12) or 'untrained' (n=12) interventions; they then scored the same nine video recordings of children completing the instrument. The age range of the children was 5 years 5 months to 12 years; there were six males, three females, all with spastic cerebral palsy (five with quadriparesis and four with hemiparesis); Gross Motor Function Classification System levels were I (n=3), II (n=3), III (n=1), and IV (n=2). All participants were novice occupational therapists and had no previous experience of using the instrument. A significant difference in perceived test familiarity was found after scoring but not before: trained raters scored higher. A significant difference in total scores for all cases was found and in eight of 16 individual item total raw scores. Again, trained raters scored higher. Interrater reliability was high in both groups, except item 6 (untrained). Internal consistency was high in both groups, except items 6 and 9 (untrained). We conclude that training for novice users increases familiarity and results in raters' perceiving higher levels of performance in some items. The Melbourne Assessment has high reliability even for novice users.