The ability of teachers to identify Grade 1 learners in low socio-economic environments with possible developmental coordination disorder

• Main Authors: Alretha du Plessis, Monique de Milander, Frederik F. Coetzee, Mariette Nel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: AOSIS 2021-04-01
• Series: South African Journal of Childhood Education
• Subjects: developmental coordination disorder (dcd); movement assessment battery for children – second edition (mabc-2); checklist; teachers; motor skills; children; learners; low socio-economic environment; prevalence
• Online Access: https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/930
• ISSN: 2223-7674; 2223-7682

Background: Early identification of learners in low socio-economic environments with possible developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is important. Although various screening tools are available, it is unclear whether teachers can use the movement assessment battery for children - second edition checklist (MABC-2 checklist) to identify learners with possible DCD. Aim: To establish teachers’ ability to identify Grade 1 learners in low socio-economic environments with possible DCD. Setting: The study was conducted in the Mangaung Metro, Motheo District of the Free State Province, South Africa. Grade 1 learners aged 6–8 years (n = 200) from a low socio-economic environment attending quintile one to three schools were randomly selected for assessment. Twenty-nine teachers participated in the study. Methods: Kinderkineticists identified learners with possible DCD (displaying motor skills far below the child’s age) by means of the MABC-2 performance test. The teachers used the MABC-2 checklist to identify possible DCD. The convergent validity of the MABC-2 performance test and checklist was compared. Results: The convergent validity between the MABC-2 performance test and the MABC-2 checklist indicated a kappa (k) coefficient of 0.17, indicating a slight agreement between the performance test and the checklist. Overall, the specificity was 58% (105/180), and the sensitivity was 85% (17/20). Conclusion: Teachers could effectively identify learners with possible DCD. However, they demonstrated a low ability to identify learners without possible DCD when using the MABC-2 checklist. It is therefore recommended that the performance test should be used in conjunction with the checklist to obtain the most reliable results.