Background: It is unclear whether assessments of motor proficiency are reliable for individuals with Down syndrome. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the test-retest reliability of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-Short Form (BOT-2 SF) in youth with Down syndrome.
Methods: Ten youth (ages 13.1-20.7 years) with Down syndrome completed the BOT-2 SF (14 items) plus a standing long jump on two separate occasions. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and standard error of measurement (SEM) were calculated to determine the test-retest reliability of the BOT-2 SF and the standing long jump.
Results: The test-retest reliability of the BOT-2 SF overall scores and percentile rankings were considered excellent. The test-retest reliability of each of the subtests varied with classifications of poor (n = 5), fair to good (n = 6), and excellent (n = 4).
Conclusion: Current evidence suggests that children with Down syndrome have reduced motor skills. However, there appears to be a lack of assessment tools that reliably evaluate the motor skills of this population. The results from this investigation suggest that the BOT-2-SF provides "excellent reliability" (≥0.75) to assess the motor skills in youth with Down syndrome.
Keywords: BOT-2 SF; adolescence; disability; intellectual disability; motor skills.