Reliability and validity of the Finnish version of the motor observation questionnaire for teachers.

OBJECTIVES: Observational screening instruments are often used as an effective, economical first step in the identification of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). The aim was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Finnish version of the Motor Observation Questionnaire for Teachers (MOQ-T-FI). METHODS: The psychometric properties were tested using two separate samples (S1: age range 6-12, M 9y 5mo, females 101, males 92; S2: age range 6-9, M 7y 7mo, females 404, males 446). Teachers completed the MOQ-T-FI in both samples, and in sample 2 teachers' ratings were compared to student's performance on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition (MABC-2). Internal consistency was investigated by using Cronbach's alpha, predictive validity by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, concurrent validity by correlation analysis, and construct validity by factor analysis. RESULTS: The MOQ-T-FI behaves consistently with its original Dutch version. The internal consistency was excellent (α=0.97). The bifactor model, with one general factor and two specific factors, fit the data significantly better than the first-order model. The concurrent validity with the MABC-2 was moderate (r=0.37 p<0.001). Sensitivity was 82.5% and specificity 44.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Notwithstanding the low specificity the MOQ-T-FI can be considered as a promising screening tool in the school environment for Finnish children at risk of motor learning problems.

Comorbidity, co-occurrence, continuum: What's in a name?

BACKGROUND: Comorbidity, co-occurrence and continuum are three terms used when referring to developmental problems such as Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), but they can be confusing and misleading. Further, the terms can be upsetting to parents, and are not always helpful in guiding the selection of clinical interventions. GOALS: The main purpose of this paper is to question some of the terminology we employ when referring to DCD and other developmental problems. A secondary purpose is to discuss some of the conceptual frameworks that have been proposed that attempt to address the issue of the interrelationships among developmental problems. APPROACH: The terminology is examined by first referring to the basic dictionary definitions. Second, data we have published that relate to the issues of co-occurrence and continuum are reviewed in light of the terminology questions. Finally, we review some alternative conceptual frameworks which more accurately describe the relationships among developmental problems. CONCLUSION: The term 'comorbidity' has limited relevance to developmental problems, and its use is questionable. In contrast, co-occurrence and continuum are more useful terms to use in regard to developmental problems. Concepts such as atypical brain development and minor neurological dysfunction provide some possible explanations for the increased levels of co-occurrence of developmental disorders in children who are more severely affected.

Speech perception and brain laterality: the effect of ear advantage on auditory event-related potentials.

Dichotic listening has been used for assessing asymmetries in processing auditory stimuli. It is known that there is better recognition of dichotic stimuli in the right ear with verbal stimuli (right ear advantage, REA) by the majority of the subjects. We were interested in the psychophysiological correlates of ear advantage as it is manifested in event-related potentials (ERP). We compared ERPs to monaural and dichotic syllables in stable REA and LEA subjects. The most consistent finding was that REA subjects show larger positive ERP deflections over the left hemisphere (maximal at T5) and LEA subjects over the right hemisphere (maximal at T6) both at the latency range of 320-340 msec. Thus, brain event-related potentials support the contention that the REA and LEA reflect differential activation of the left and right hemispheres, respectively.