title: Identifying developmental coordination disorder: MOQ-T validity as a fast screening instrument based on teachers' ratings and its relationship with praxic and visuospatial working memory deficits.
abstract: The present study was devoted to test the validity of the Italian adaptation of the Motor Observation Questionnaire for Teachers (MOQ-T, Schoemaker, Flapper, Reinders-Messelink, & De Kloet, 2008) as a fast screening instrument, based on teachers' ratings, for detecting developmental coordination disorders symptoms and to study its relationship with praxic and visuospatial working memory deficits. In a first study on a large sample of children, we assessed the reliability and structure of the Italian adaptation of the MOQ-T. Results showed a good reliability of the questionnaire and a hierarchical structure with two first-order factors (reflecting motor and handwriting skills), which are influenced by a second-order factor (general motor function) at the top. In a second study, we looked at the external validity of the MOQ-T and found that children with symptoms of Developmental Coordination Disorder (children with high scores on the MOQ-T) also had difficulty reproducing gestures, either imitating others or in response to verbal prompts. Our results also showed that children with high MOQ-T scores had visuospatial WM impairments. The theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy. Electronic address: david.giofre@gmail.com.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Giofrè
authors.affiliation: Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Cesare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cornoldi
authors.affiliation: University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Center for Human Movement Sciences, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marina M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Schoemaker
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D005868:Gestures; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Developmental coordination disorder, DCD; Gesture reproduction; Handwriting; Neurodevelopmental disorders; Specific learning disorder, SLD; Visuospatial WM