Peabody Developmental Motor Scales 2

Question 1

What is the Peabody assessment?

Answer 1

• It is a standardized, norm-referenced assessment widely used by OTs
• It is a quantitative assessment of motor skills
• Assesses motor development delays compared to same age peers
• Ages 1-71

Question 2

What do the PDMS-2 subtests look at?

Answer 2

• Reflexes (only to 11 months of age) - 8 items
• Stationary (assesses body control and balance skills) - 30 items
• Locomotion (assesses ability to move such as crawl, walk, run, hop, jump) - 89 items
• Object manipulation (assesses ability to manipulate a ball - tennis ball and 8” ball) - 24 items
• Grasping (assesses ability to hold and manipulate objects and tools) - 26 items
• Visual-motor Integration (assesses visual perceptual skills and copy design tasks) - 72 items

Question 3

What is the gross motor quotient (GMQ)?

Answer 3

• It includes the subtest results that measure large muscle systems: reflexes, stationary, and locomotion object manipulation

Question 4

What does administration of the PDMS-2 consist of?

Answer 4

• It is crucial to determine the CA of a child in order to use correct entry points for examiner record booklet
• Basal level
• Ceiling level

Question 5

What are basal and ceiling levels?

Answer 5

• Basal level: child receives score of 2’s on three items in a row (indicates that child is able to successfully complete the task item meeting criteria indicated on examiner record booklet. It provides the therapist with a starting point for administering the items within the subtest
• Ceiling level: when child scores 0’s on three items in a row (this indicates that items are more difficult and child is unable to perform per criteria)
• Basal and ceiling levels assist with determining the raw scores for each subtest area to reduce the testing of all items in the subtest area

Question 6

What is the fine motor quotient (FMQ)?

Answer 6

• Results of two subtests that measure small muscle systems: grasping and visual-motor integration

Question 7

What does the PDMS-2 percentile score mean?

Answer 7

• It indicates the percentage of distribution that is equal to or below a particular score

Question 8

What do the PDMS-2 standard scores mean?

Answer 8

• They provide a distribution of child scores in comparison with same age peers - which helps “examiner” understand if child’s score is average, below average, etc. using the bell curve

Question 9

What are advantages of the PDMS-2?

Answer 9

• It is standardized and norm-referenced
• It has strong psychometric properties
• It is quick and easy to administer and score
• It can give a battery of subtests
• Individual subtests can be administered individually (for example, just the subtests of grasping and visual-motor integration FMQ and GMQ stationary, locomotion, and object manipulation)
• It is interdisciplinary
• There is home programming information

Question 10

What are disadvantages of the PDMS-2?

Answer 10

• It has poor sensitivity to pick up incremental changes in a child - especially grasp subtest items
• It has poor descriptions of grasp patterns
• There is only a small space for qualitative observations on the record booklet
• It is very structured and does not allow for flexibility in instructions given
• It is not standardized on children with disabilities or for children using adaptations

Question 11

How can a therapist use the PDMS-2 results?

Answer 11

• Areas of need that are identified can be used for intervention planning and development of student outcomes

Question 12

What qualitative information should be documented even though it is not included on the PDMS-2?

Answer 12

• Include observations:
• Task behaviors
• Attention
• Cognitive abilities for following and understanding directions
• Handedness/preference
• Temperament