Effectiveness of the PDMS-2 for Children with Cerebral Palsy

Due to the nature of Cerebral Palsy, therapists need a good motor evaluative tool to evaluate the condition and progress of the child.

Some common tests used in the PT and OT setting are the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM), the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales (PDMS), and the BOT-2 (Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, second edition). The second edition of the PDMS, the PDMS-2, has been updated with new testing material and updates to scoring criteria and norm samples, and this makes it “potentially appropriate for investigating the progress of the gross and fine motor domains for children with CP because it assesses both GM and fine motor (FM) composites and incorporates both quantitative and qualitative rating criteria.”¹All tests are great tools for evaluating children in physical and occupational therapy settings. However, the best test for an individual child, in this case, a child with Cerebral Palsy, will differ.

The PDSM-2 is a highly reliable and accurate test but has not been studied on its responsiveness and reliability for children with CP. A 2006 study on the reliability, sensitivity to change, and responsiveness of the Peabody proved that it is a great test for children with CP as it was proved to have great test-retest reliability and good responsiveness on the composites.² The test can be used not only to evaluate the child initially, but it has proven to be a great tool to monitor progress and change in motor skill development and acquisition over time.

High-Level Motor Skills

Another reason why the Peabody is a versatile test that is great for children with CP is that it can detect acquisition and deficits in high-level motor skills, such as those needed in conventional sports or activities a child would be involved in during school years. So, in children with CP, it is appropriate to use an assessment tool such as the GMFCS (Gross Motor Function Classification System) which is designed to identify a child’s level of mobility. However, those children with more mobility require tools that can properly assess higher levels of motor skills such as object control, running, jumping, etc.³

For those children with CP that have a higher level of mobility, certain tests may not be appropriate because they are created to measure early gross motor skills rather than high-level motor skills. An example of this would be the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM).⁴

The Peabody is a great tool that can perform a broad range of tests because it was “designed to measure motor skills in a broader population of children with or without a disability” and is going to be able to account for higher levels of motor activity.⁵

Staff Resource

Here is a great resource for therapists with sample forms of common evaluations and school forms. This link includes a sample form of the Peabody and BOT-2, among many others.

• In-Text References:

  1. Wang, Hsiang-Hui, Hua-Fang Liao, Ching-Lin Hsieh, “Reliability, Sensitivity to Change, and Responsiveness of the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-Second Edition for Children With Cerebral Palsy,” Physical Therapy. 86, no. 10(2006):1352. DOI: 10.2522/ptj.20050259.

  2. Wang, Liao, and Hsieh, “Reliability, Sensitivity to Change,” 1356.

  3. Clutterbuck, Georgina L., Megan L. Auld, and Leanne M. Johnston, “High-level motor skills assessment for ambulant children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review and decision tree,” Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology. 62, no. 6(2020):693, DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.14524.

  4. Clutterbuck, Auld, and Johnston, “High-level motor,” 694.

  5. Ibid, 697.

• Full Sources

  Clutterbuck, Georgina L., Megan L. Auld, and Leanne M. Johnston, “High-level motor skills assessment for ambulant children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review and decision tree,” Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology. 62, no. 6(2020):693-699, DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.14524.

  Wang, Hsiang-Hui, Hua-Fang Liao, Ching-Lin Hsieh, “Reliability, Sensitivity to Change, and Responsiveness of the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-Second Edition for Children With Cerebral Palsy,” Physical Therapy. 86, no. 10(2006):1351-9. DOI: 10.2522/ptj.20050259.