The Movement ABC-2 Test in China: Comparison with UK norms for 3–10 year olds

Abstract

The Test component of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children 2 nd Edition (Movement ABC-2) is used worldwide to identify children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). In China, practitioners have been using this test with the assumption that the published UK norms are valid for Chinese children. However no systematic investigation has previously been undertaken to check this assumption. 2185 children aged 3-10 years old from a national representative sample in China were therefore recruited to the current study. Performance on the Movement ABC-2 was assessed and compared with the UK standardization norms. Gender differences were also examined. The comparisons revealed that Chinese children were generally better in Manual Dexterity and Balance tasks compared to their UK peers; while UK children were better in Aiming & Catching tasks. Further analysis showed an interaction of country and age with mixed results. For both countries, girls were generally better in Manual Dexterity and Balance tasks, and boys were generally better in Aiming & Catching. Possible explanations for the country differences are discussed. The results suggest that local norms for the Movement ABC-2 Test are needed in China. What this paper adds?Previous studies have reported cross-cultural differences between Western and East Asian children when assessing their motor performance with the first and second editions of the Movement ABC Test. However the results were mixed in terms of different age groups and different motor components. Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) have recently started to be recognised in the healthcare and education system in mainland China, and the Movement ABC Test has been widely used by researchers and practitioners. However, little is known about the suitability of applying the published UK norms of the assessment on the Chinese population. Using a national representative sample, the current study provided original data on the cultural differences in motor development between Chinese children and their UK peers on the Movement ABC-2 Test. We propose that the more intensive training program in nurseries in China might partially explain some of the differences found between children from the two countries. Highlights:• Chinese & UK children aged 3-10 have different profiles on the Movement ABC-2 Test;• Gender differences in motor development are consistent across China and the UK;• Local norms for the Movement ABC-2 Test are needed in China.

Pediatric care for children with developmental coordination disorder, can we do better?

“…Both tests are psychometrically sound to determine the level of motor performance [ 48 ]. For the MABC-2, norms were established by the developers in the United Kingdom and cross-culturally validated with own norms in the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium), China and Brazil [ [49] , [50] , [51] ]. The developers of the BOT-2 also established norms in the United States and a cross-cultural validation was done in Turkey, Brazil and Germany [ [52] , [53] , [54] ].…”

Discrepancies between Parent and Teacher Reports of Motor Competence in 5–10-Year-Old Children with and without Suspected Developmental Coordination Disorder

“…One limitation of the current study is the use of the United Kingdom and Canadian norms for both scales, as Chinese norms were not available on either MABC-2-C or DCDQ. This may affect the sensitivity analysis as different movement development profiles between Chinese and British children have previously been reported [17]. However, all other analyses only used the raw scores of both scales, and the results shall not be affected.…”

“…The Test component (Age Band 1, AB1 and Age Band 2, AB2) of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2nd Edition-Chinese [8,17,18] was used as an objective measurement of children's motor performance. There are three motor domains involving eight tasks: 3 tasks measuring Manual Dexterity (posting coins or placing pegs; threading beads or lace; drawing); 2 tasks measuring ball skills (throwing/aiming and catching); and 3 tasks measuring balance (one-leg floor/board balance; walking along a line; jumping or hopping) (see Table 2).…”

Amblyopia is associated with impaired balance in 3–6-year-old children in China

“…For example, children raised in China had a significantly better fine and gross motor function than their peers in Europe and North America (Pang and Fong, 2009). For the MABC-1 test in particular, children in China aged 3-10 had significantly higher manual dexterity scores than children in the UK (Ke et al, 2020). In Hong Kong, children had better manual dexterity and balance scores than children in North America (Chow et al, 2001).…”