PEDIATRIC

ASSESSMENTS- MOTOR
Supplement to YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/1JBSrirJZdM
Miri Lee, OTD, OTR/L

The most commonly used motor assessments are listed below in the order of age at which it can first be administered. When studying for the NBCOT exam, I
memorized the motor assessments based on age because many of the focus areas were similar across all the assessments so it was critical to know the age
ranges to be able to select the most appropriate assessment.

Peabody Developmental Motor Scales (PDMS-2) [Birth - 5 years]
Trick Peabody for Pea-sized infants. Unlike many other GM/FM assessments, you can use this assessment from as early as birth.
Focus Measures GM & FM with subtests including reflexes, sustained control, locomotion, object manipulation, grasping and visual motor
integration.
Notes Standardized, norm-referenced rating scales of GM & FM development. Remember, norm-referenced tests are always standardized and
the results are compared with normative sample. Also important to note: This is both an assessment & training tool because it includes
motor activity program for planning and implementing training.

Miller Function & Participation Skills (M-FUN) [2 Years 6 months – 7 year 11 months]
Trick M-FUN is FUN! This uses functional activities (note the word “function” is in the name of the assessment) that appeal to children and allow
for engagement, even those will lower motor-function skills. Includes jumping, hopping, skipping- highly engaging. Notice the difference
from Peabody assessment, which is used for pea-sized infants doing mainly reflexes, control & locomotion.
Focus 3 Motor Areas (visual motor, fine motor, and gross motor) as well as participation.
Notes A Norm-referenced assessment measuring a child’s functional tasks needed to successfully participate in classroom with emphasis on
motor skill performance. So remember, this assesses a child’s functional performance related to school participation. What does that
mean? (Know this: You can use this assessment to determine eligibility for school-based services). Take a look at the name of the
assessment again and note that you have all the clues necessary to remember this assessment.

Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOT-2) [4 years – 21 years]
Trick BOT=Robot. Think Robot dance. By the time a child is 4 years old, they can do the robot dance! (Remember, in the Stages of Play
Development, 2-4 years is marked by symbolic play. By 4-7 ages, the child engages in creative play). So at age 4, children are
creatively dancing the roBOT dance. Finally, note that robots move in GM/FM movements- robots don’t think spontaneously, so you
won’t use this to assess cognition.
Focus 4 motor areas- 1. Fine manual control. 2. Manual coordination. 3. Body coordination. 4. Strength & agility.
Notes A Norm-referenced assessment with GM/FM composites, including speed, duration, and accuracy of performance. Hand & foot
preference included.



 PEDIATRIC ASSESSMENTS- VISUAL MOTOR & VISUAL PERCEPTION

Unlike the motor assessments, the key to remembering the visual motor & perception assessments will hinge on your ability to distinguish and identify subtle
differences in the purpose/goal of the assessments. Instead of focusing on the age range, try to remember the distinguishing features. Also, note the age range
differs slightly depending on the source. Most of my data for age range is sourced from the Pedretti’s Occupational Therapy textbook.

Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration (VMI) [2 years – 8 Years or 100 years for full format]
Trick Beery= think Beer. When you’ve had too much to drink, it becomes difficult to integrate visual and motor abilities. Next time you’ve
had a few beers, try copying geometric forms. Not gonna be pretty. So this assessment tests how well our motor movement
correspond with what we are seeing. The purpose of this assessment is literally in its name- Test of visual and motor integration.
Focus 3 Areas: Visual Motor Integration, Visual Perception, Motor Coordination.
Notes Standardized tool that can be used as a classroom screening tool that is nonverbal and culture free.

Developmental Test of Visual Perception (DTVP-2)
For Children [4 years- 10 years] For Adults [11 years-70 years]
Trick DTVP= ET GO HOME. In VIM, children were drawing and copying shapes, With DTVP, a lot of the assessment involves the child
having to point to the correct shape or form that matches what they are seeing. As the name suggests (Test of Visual Perception), it
places emphasis on visual perceptual skills.
Focus Visual Perception & Visual-Motor Integration including hand-eye coordination, copying, spatial relations, visual-motor speed,
position in space, figure-ground, visual-closure, form constancy.
Notes Standardized, norm-referenced tool.

VMI VS. DTVP
Similarities Differences
-Standardized. -VMI is short (~10-15 min) versus ~35 min. for DTVP because it includes
-Both assess visual-motor integration & visual perception. more subtests.
-VMI- Non-verbal assessment! Can be used for diverse cultural &
socioeconomic background.

Preschool Visual Motor Integration Assessment (PVMIA) [3 ½ years – 5 ½ years]
Trick Preschool- You can differentiate this assessment because it’s designed specifically for children in preschool.
Focus Visual Perception & Visual-Motor Integration, including perception in space, awareness of spatial relationships, color and shape
discrimination, ability to reproduce what is seen.
Notes Standardized. This assessment is different from VMI & DTVP in that it includes color & shape discrimination. Also, it includes 2
behavioral observation checklists that assist in the interpretation of results.


 (VMI & DTVP) VS. PVMIA
VMI & DTVP & PVMIA PVMIA
-Standardized. -Examines the ability to discriminate color and shapes!
-All assess visual motor integration & visual perception. -Specific to children in preschool- NOTE the name of assessment.
-PVMIA includes 2 behavioral observation checklists that assist in the
interpretation of results.



Motor-Free Visual Perception Test (MVPT-3) [4 years – 70 years]
Trick Motor-Free: That means, it doesn’t require motor involvement to make a response. It is independent of motor ability and focuses
just on visual perception.
Focus 5 Areas: 1. Spatial relationships 2. Visual Discrimination 3. Figure Ground 4. Visual Closure 5. Visual Memory.
Notes Standardized, norm-referenced test.

Test of Visual-Perceptual Skills (TVPS) [4 years – 18 years]
Trick Key is in the name. It specifically assesses visual perceptual skills, and does not require motor response, like the Motor-Free
Perception test.
Focus Assesses visual discrimination, visual memory, visual-spatial relationship, sequential memory, figure-ground & visual closure.
Notes Standardized, norm-referenced test based on nationally stratified norms. Now, this assessment sounds a lot like the
Developmental Test of Visual Perception (DTVP-2), but remember that DTVP also includes the visual motor component unlike the
TVPS, which is just visual perception.

The MVPT & TVPS assessments are almost identical in their focus areas, as well as the age that it can first be administered.

Test of Visual-Motor Skills (TVMS) [3 years – 13 years]
Trick Key is in the name. It specifically assesses visual motor skills.
Focus Hand-eye coordination skills for copying geometric designs.
Notes Standardized, norm-referenced test.

Key terms you need to know to know master this content:
Visual Discrimination The ability to notice and identify differences or similarities of objects of forms based on the shape, size and color. For
reading and writing, visual discrimination is essential for being able to identify different letters or words. (Letter p
versus q).
Form Constancy The ability to know that a form or shape is the same, even if has been changed in size, rotated, or observed from far or
close distance. This skill allows you to recognize the same word in different contexts, whether it’s written on a cup,
textbook or written with a marker or paintbrush.
Visual Memory The ability to recall visual traits of a form or object. Difficulties with this skill can make copying from the board much
more challenging because they cannot remember what they saw or read and cannot retain the information to transfer it
to their own page.
Visual Sequential Memory The ability to recall a sequence of objects or forms in the correct order. This is most important for spelling. Even if you
know the letters in a word, if you can’t get the order correct, you won’t be able to spell correctly.
Visual Closure The ability to recognize a form or object even when the whole picture of it isn’t available. So this ability helps you to see
a part of a word and fill in the rest in your head quickly. This is important for reading and comprehension because
without it, you will have to spend more time reading each letter carefully to form a word in your head.
Visual Spatial Relation The ability to understand the relationship of objects within the environment. This skill is important for letter orientation
and avoiding reversals. In terms of gross motor movement, this skill plays a big role in being able to navigate their own
space and environment.
Visual Figure Ground The ability to locate something in a cluttered or busy background. This ability is what allows a child to find and pick out a
small marble from a drawer full of junk. It’s the ability to sort out visual information to find what they are looking for in a
busy, distracting background.