Motor profile of Portuguese preschool children on the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-2: a cross-cultural study

Abstract

This study was designed to examine the cultural sensitivity of the PDMS-2 for Portuguese preschool children aged 36-71 months. A total of 540 children (255 males and 285 females) from 15 public preschools of Viana do Castelo, Portugal, were assessed. Age and gender effects in motor performance were examined. Results indicated that PDMS-2 is valid instrument to differentiate Portuguese age groups. Girls presented higher scores than boys in the Grasping and Visuo-motor integration subtests and lower scores in the Object Manipulation subtest. Portuguese preschoolers performed above US norms on Grasping, Visual-motor integration, and Stationary subtests, and bellow on Locomotion and Object Manipulation subtests. Overall, Portuguese children showed better results on the Fine Motor Quotient comparing to the Gross Motor Quotient. These results underline different motor development profiles between Portuguese and American children.