Movement Assessment Battery for Children - Second Edition (Movement ABC-2)

S E Henderson and D A Sugden

The Movement ABC is one of the most frequently used tests of motor impairment in the world. It features in over 500 research studies internationally and has been translated and standardised in several countries.

Use the Movement ABC-2 to:

•    Identify delay or impairment in motor development
•    Plan intervention
•    Measure change

•    Research

New features and improvements

The Movement ABC-2 contains:

•    A full set of new norms
•    An extended age range
•    Improved scoring
•    More task-age overlap
•    Reduced room preparation time
•    Some new extensively trialled tasks
•    Colourful, robust equipment which complies with health and safety guidelines and is suitable for use
     with visually impaired children
•    A shortened checklist

•    A separate intervention manual.

UK Standardisation

The Movement ABC-2 test and checklist were normed on a nationally stratified sample in 2006. The test is normed on over 1000 children and the checklist on 400 children. Excellent reliability and validity data plus studies with clinical populations are included.

The Movement ABC-2 test

The test contains 8 tasks for each of 3 age ranges: 3 – 6 years; 7 – 10 years and 11 – 16 years. The tasks cover the following 3 areas:

•    Manual Dexterity
•    Ball Skills
•    Static and Dynamic Balance.

Total standard scores and percentiles are provided. A profile of a child’s performance over the different sections of the test can be examined.

The assessment is paralleled by an observational approach to perceptual-motor aspects and emotional and motivational difficulties the child may have in relation to motor tasks.

The Movement ABC-2 checklist

The checklist provides an economical means of assessing groups of children through classroom assessment. It can also be used by therapists to obtain the views of parents or teachers on a child's movement in everyday settings.

The behaviour section of the checklist considers the extent to which a child’s attitudes and feelings about motor tasks are situation specific or more generalised.

Percentile cut scores are provided.

Ecological Intervention for Children with Movement Difficulties

The intervention manual provides a complete guide to helping children with movement difficulties, based on research. The practitioner is guided through a discussion of organisational issues at one end of the process to a detailed step-by-step guide on how to teach an individual child a new skill.