A Model for Combined Assessment of Motor Performance and Behaviour in 3-year-old Children

Abstract

This paper presents a new model for combined assessment of motor performance and behaviour (CAMPB) in 3-year-old children. It is intended for simultaneous use with a scale for assessment of motor-perceptual development. The child's performance is observed and compared with detailed descriptions of performance in gross and fine motor functions, and descriptions of coordination, attention and social behaviour, included in a protocol. An overall evaluation is also made. These assessments have been performed in a longitudinal follow-up study of children who needed intensive care neonatally and a control group of 72 neonatally healthy children. In this report the results from CAMPB assessments in the control group are presented. CAMPB together with the motor-perceptual scale was feasible in these 3-year-old children and CAMPB was sensitive enough to detect differences between children. The motor performance in most children conformed with the descriptions of gross and fine motor function in the protocol, and clear deviations were few. Seven per cent of the children had considerable problems in motor function and/or perception, in combination with a lack of attention, according to the overall evaluation.