Reliability and Validity of a Computerized Tool to Assess Proprioception Among Children With Coordination Disorders
Condition: Developmental Coordination Disorder; Developmental Dyspraxia; Clumsy Child Syndrome
MeSH terms: Motor Skills Disorders
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      Coordination disorders are common among children that arrive to child development services.
      Children with coordination disorders have impaired proprioceptive sensation and motor
      planning. It is important to carry out a comprehensive assessment of these children in order
      to design an appropriate and effective treatment. There is a lack of an objective and
      standard assessment tools for proprioception and motor planning. Technology based assessment
      tools might offer a solution, as they enable automated and accurate measurement. The purpose
      of this study is to examine the validity and reliability of a new diagnostic computerized
      kit, which was developed for assessment of proprioception and motor planning among children
      with coordination disorders. The hypothesis includes:

        1. Examine the construct validity of the new diagnostic computerized kit (the known group
           procedure). Whether there is a difference in the outcomes between children with typical
           development and children with coordination disorders.

        2. Examine the construct validity of the new diagnostic computerized kit outcomes -
           correlation with the following associated variables: (a) motor skills; (b) sensory
           function; (c) participation in daily activities.

        3. Examine of test-retest reliability of the new diagnostic computerized kit. Whether the
           outcomes are stable in repeated measurements.

      The participants will include fifty children between the ages of 5 to 7 years: 25 children
      with coordination disorders (study group), and 25 children with typical development (control
      group).

      Each child will arrive for an evaluation meeting that includes: (a) the new diagnostic
      computerized kit; (b) standard and routine tests for motor skills (Movement Assessment
      Battery for Children-2-MABC-2, and two sub-test of the Beery-Buktenica developmental test of
      visual-motor integration- Beery VMI). In addition, the children's parents will complete two
      questionnaires: (a) Sensory Processing Measurement (SPM) for sensory function assessment; (b)
      Participation in Childhood Occupations Questionnaire (PICO-Q) for daily participation
      assessment. After two weeks, ten children from the control group will be evaluated once again
      by the new diagnostic computerized kit for examine test-retest reliability.
    

Detailed description: 
      Coordination disorders are common among children that arrive to child development services.
      Children with coordination disorders have impaired proprioceptive sensation and motor
      planning. It is important to carry out a comprehensive assessment of these children in order
      to design an appropriate and effective treatment. There is a lack of an objective and
      standard assessment tools for proprioception and motor planning. Technology based assessment
      tools might offer a solution, as they enable automated and accurate measurement. The purpose
      of this study is to examine the validity and reliability of a new diagnostic computerized
      kit, which was developed for assessment of proprioception and motor planning among children
      with coordination disorders.

      The new diagnostic computerized kit consists a computerized thumb- fingers matching test (for
      proprioception).

      The hypothesis includes:

        1. Examine the construct validity of the new diagnostic computerized kit (the known group
           procedure). Whether there is a difference in the outcomes between children with typical
           development and children with coordination disorders.

        2. Examine the construct validity of the new diagnostic computerized kit outcomes -
           correlation with the following associated variables: (a) motor skills; (b) sensory
           function; (c) participation in daily activities.

        3. Examine of test-retest reliability of the new diagnostic computerized kit. Whether the
           outcomes are stable in repeated measurements.

      The participants will include fifty children between the ages of 5 to 7 years: 25 children
      with coordination disorders (study group) in a waiting list for an occupational therapy
      evaluation (in Orlansky Children's Development Center, Dan -Petah Tikva Region, Clalit Health
      Services), and 25 children with typical development (control group).

      The participants will be recruited by a convenience sample. Participation in the study will
      be offered by telephone to parents of children who may meet the inclusion /exclusion
      criteria. For the study group the recruitment will be to children in a waiting list for an
      occupational therapy evaluation (in Orlansky Children's Development Center). For the control
      group, the recruitment will be by a snowball sample (a friend brings a friend), through
      acquaintances of the investigators. Children whose parents agree to participate in the study
      will attend one meeting, accompanied by at least one parent. At the beginning of the meeting,
      the parents will receive a detailed explanation about the purpose and the study process. The
      new diagnostic computerized kit will be presented and explained how to use it. Parents will
      be assured total privacy. In addition, parents of children from the study group will be told
      that their child's medical record will be used to ensure inclusion and exclusion criteria.
      Parents who express their consent to participate in the study will sign an informed consent
      form and then complete a demographic questionnaire and a screening questionnaire. Children
      that will be find suitable for the study will Be evaluated by: (a) the new diagnostic
      computerized kit; (b) standard and routine tests for motor skills (Movement Assessment
      Battery for Children-2-MABC-2, and two sub-test of the Beery-Buktenica developmental test of
      visual-motor integration- Beery VMI). In addition, the children's parents will complete two
      questionnaires: (a) Sensory Processing Measurement (SPM) for sensory function assessment; (b)
      Participation in Childhood Occupations Questionnaire (PICO-Q) for daily participation
      assessment. After two weeks, ten children from the control group will be evaluated once again
      by the new diagnostic computerized kit for examine test-retest reliability.

      Analysis of the data will be done using the SPSS version 32. Descriptive statistics will be
      used for description of the population and the variables. Shapiro-wilks test will be used to
      examine the type of distribution of the dependent variables. According to the type of
      distribution will use t-test for two independent samples or Mann-Whitney test to examine the
      differences between groups (hypothesis 1). Pearson Correlation Coefficient test or Spearman's
      Rank Correlation Coefficient test will be used to examine correlation between the outcomes of
      the assessment tools (hypothesis 2 and 3). The significance level for all the statistical
      tests will be p<0.05.
    

Observational model: Case-Control
Time perspective: Cross-Sectional
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        The participants will include fifty children between the ages of 5 to 7 years:

        the study group - 25 children in a waiting list for an occupational therapy evaluation (in
        Orlansky Children's Development Center, Dan -Petah Tikva Region, Clalit Health Services),
        the control group - 25 children with typical development.