The use of the QNST-II as a measure for the identification of children with perceptual-motor deficits.
This study aimed to examine the ability of the Quick Neurological Screening Test QNST II) (Mutti et al., 1998) to discriminate between children with and without perceptual-motor deficits and to further clarify its psychometric characteristics. Ninety-four children aged six to seven years were tested on the QNST-II. Out of this pool of subjects, 63 children had perceptual-motor deficits and 31 were typical controls. The children with perceptual-motor deficits scored significantly lower than the control children on the total score and on each of the subtest' s scores of the QNST II. Inter-rater reliability indicated a high degree of correlation between both evaluators' total scores of the QNST II. In terms of the test' s sensitivity and specificity, QNST II scores correctly classified 97% of the children with perceptual-motor deficits and 84% of the children from the control group. The findings of this study support the capability of the QNST II to discriminate between children with perceptual-motor deficits and typical children; thereby suggesting its usefulness as a screening measure to identify children at risk for difficulties in school performance.
Parush
Shula
S
School of Occupational Therapy, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. msshulap@pluto.huji.ac.il
Rilsky
Artal
A
Goldstand
Sarina
S
Mazor-Karsenty
Tal
T
Yochman
Aviva
A
D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D012306:Risk; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity