Overview
The Movement Assessment Battery for Children – Second Edition (Movement ABC-2/MABC-2; Henderson, Sugden, & Barnett, 2007) is a norm-referenced instrument that helps identify children between 3 years and 16 years, 11 months who have motor function impairment. It can be administered individually or in group format. There are two parts: a performance test and, for children 5-12 years, a checklist. For the performance component, a clinician administers 8 items split into three categories: manual dexterity, ball skills, and static and dynamic balance. The test is given according to three age bands (3-6 years, 7-10 years, 11-16 years), with test items changing depending on the age category. The checklist is completed by a teacher or other professional to assess how the child performs motor activities in everyday situations and the child’s feelings toward motor tasks. The MABC-2 Checklist assesses emotional and motivational difficulties related to motor tasks. A Qualitative Observations section permits clinicians to supplement the numerical scores of the Performance Test with clinical observations.
Summary
Age: 3 years 0 months to 16 years 11 months (Performance Test); 5 years 0 months to 12 years 11 months (Checklist)
Time to Administer: 20-40 minutes (Performance Test); 10 minutes (Checklist)
Method of Administration: Norm-referenced, clinician-administered Performance Test; parent- or teacher-completed Checklist for ages 5-12
Yields standard scores, percentile ranks, and cut scores for comparison purposes
Subscales: Overall Composite Score
Subscale Scores: Manual Dexterity, Ball Skills, Static and Dynamic Balance
Autism Related Research
Liu & Breslin (2013a)
Age Range: 3-16 years
Sample Size: 25
Topics Addressed:
Compare impact of assessment protocols for MABC-2 for children with ASD
Outcome:Liu & Breslin (2013a)
25 children with ASD performed Movement ABC-2 using two different protocols: one with verbal instructions and demonstrations prior to motor skill performance, the other group using a picture activity schedule with verbal instructions minimized. Results: All children were delayed. However, when using the picture activity schedule protocol, scores were significantly higher. Percentile score for the visually supported group (12.4) compared to traditional protocol percentile score (1.1) F(1,24) = 24.143, p˂.001.
Conclusion: Picture activity schedule protocol may elicit better motor skill performance for children with ASD.
Liu & Breslin (2013b)
Age Range: 3-16 years
Sample Size: 60
Topics Addressed:
Examine fine and gross motor performance of those with ASD compared with typically developing children
Outcome:Liu & Breslin (2013b)
80% of those with ASD were categorized in the red and amber zones suggesting they experienced motor difficulty or were at risk for motor delay. Children with ASD showed significantly lower MABC-2 percentile scores than the typically developing children on manual dexterity, ball skills, and static and dynamic balance, F(1, 59) = 109.043, p < .001, and the effect sizes were large (>.80). In conclusion, children with ASD were delayed in both fine and gross motor skill performance on MABC-2 when compared to their age-matched typically developing children.
Conclusion: fine and gross motor performance should be included in ASD screening since motor development precedes language development, thus enhancing the potential for earlier diagnosis.
Siaperas et al. (2012)
Age Range: 7-14 years
Sample Size: 50
Topics Addressed:
Performance of boys with Asperger Syndrome on the MABC-2
Outcome:Siaperas et al. (2012)
Participants with Asperger Syndrome demonstrated significant impairments across multiple sensorimotor functions, including on the MABC-2 test, which confirmed previous reports of atypical motor functioning. Proprioceptive and vestibular processing impairment were also found. There were no interaction effects of age and clinical group on level of performance deficit.
Conclusion: motor impairment appears to be common among this population but multifaceted assessment and ongoing instrumentation research is important.