Validity and reliability of the movement assessment battery second edition test in children with and without motor impairment: A prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Examining the reliability and validity of the second edition movement assessment battery test (MABC-2) in children with and without motor impairment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, the MABC-2 test and developmental coordination disorder questionnaire 2007 (DCDQ′07) were completed by children and their parents. By using 95% confidence intervals, minimal detectable change (MDC95) was calculated, and concurrent validity was investigated. By applying the MABC-2 test as a reference standard (cut-off fifth centile), sensitivity and specificity were examined. RESULTS: 273 children (mean age: 6.3 ± 2.3 years; 70% male) with and without motor impairment completed the investigation. For test-retest reliability, intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) was >0.89 for the MABC-2 test. The MDC95 value for the motor skill test was 5.76. There was a significant correlation between the MABC-2 test and DCDQ′07 (r = 0.60, P < 0.001) and the Go/No-Go test (r = 0.50, P < 0.001). Overall, the sensitivity was very high (90%), the specificity was low (46%), and positive and negative predictive values were high (69% and 81%, respectively). CONCLUSION: The MABC-2 test can be considered a valid and reliable motor skill assessment tool for children with and without motor impairment.