Purpose: To test the reliability and validity of the gross motor items making up a new instrument, Hong Kong Comprehensive Assessment Scales for Toddlers (HKCAS-T) for quantifying gross motor development among children aged 18 to 42 months.
Methods: The 37 items were administered to 330 children, including 258 typically developing children and 72 children with gross motor delay.
Results: Rasch analyzes indicated that the fit statistics of the 37 items were within the acceptable range. The assessment was found able to differentiate between typically developing children and those with gross motor delay and among children of different ages. The raw score reliability (KR-20) was 0.94.
Conclusion: The new instrument is a promising alternative for assessing young children's gross motor development.
Keywords: Developmental disabilities; assessments; children; gross motor skills; psychometrics.