Inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability of the Performance and Fitness (PERF-FIT) test battery for children: a test for motor skill related fitness.

Background: The Performance and Fitness (PERF-FIT) test battery for children is a recently developed, valid assessment tool for measuring motor skill-related physical fitness in 5 to 12-year-old children living in low-income settings. The aim of this study was to determine: (1) inter-rater reliability and (2) test-retest reliability of the PERF-FIT in children from 3 different countries (Ghana, South Africa and the Netherlands).

Method: For inter-rater reliability 29 children, (16 boys and 13 girls, 6-10 years) were scored by 2 raters simultaneously.

Field-Based Tests of Strength and Anaerobic Capacity Used in Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder: A Systematic Review.

Objective: Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) are reported to have lower levels of strength and anaerobic capacity. The purpose of this study was to (1) identify field-based tests for strength and anaerobic capacity used in studies comparing children with DCD and children who were typically developing (TD), (2) examine the methodological quality of studies reporting psychometric properties and rate the psychometric properties of the examined test, and (3) summarize available evidence by combining the methodological quality of the studies and the quality of the psychometric properties of the test.

Methods: An electronic search was conducted in July 2019 in 4 electronic databases.

Reliability and Validity of the Ladder Agility Test Among Children.

Purpose: This study aimed (1) to evaluate the test-retest reliability of a new agility test among children and (2) to determine the physical performance and anthropometric variables that may influence agility performance in this population.

Methods: For aim 1, participants (n = 34) completed the Ladder Agility Test (LAT) twice, with a 2-week interval between the first and second test occasions. For aim 2, participants (n = 125) were assessed on the LAT as well as other measures thought to be necessary for agility such as motor coordination, explosive power of the lower extremity, dynamic balance, age, and body mass index.

Functional strength measurement in cerebral palsy: feasibility, test-retest reliability, and construct validity.

 No instrument exists that measures functional strength in both lower and upper extremities in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Therefore, the functional strength measurement (FSM) was tested for feasibility, test-retest reliability and validity in CP.  Thirty-seven children with CP (aged 4-10 years, Gross Motor Function Classification System I and II) participated.

Subtyping children with developmental coordination disorder based on physical fitness outcomes.

Purpose: Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) are known to have poor physical fitness. However, differentiating homogenous subgroups of DCD using fitness performance has not yet been established. Therefore the purpose of this study was to identify subtypes in children with and without DCD using measures of physical fitness.

Psychometric properties of field-based anaerobic capacity tests in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder.

Assessment of anaerobic capacity in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is essential for treatment planning. However, available field-based measures have no established validity and reliability in this population. To examine the psychometric properties of selected field-based anaerobic capacity tests in children with and without DCD.

Performance on Functional Strength Measurement and Muscle Power Sprint Test confirm poor anaerobic capacity in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder.

Background: There is little and conflicting information about anaerobic performance and functional strength in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD).

Aims: To investigate anaerobic capacity and functional strength in children with a clinical diagnosis of DCD (clin-DCD) and if differences were larger in older (age 7-10 years) compared to younger children (age 4-6 years). Furthermore to determine the percentage of children with clin-DCD that scored <15th percentile on the norm-referenced Functional Strength Measurement.

Reliability and Structural and Construct Validity of the Functional Strength Measurement in Children Aged 4 to 10 Years.

Background: Adequate muscle strength, power, and endurance are important in children's daily activities and sports. Various instruments have been developed for the assessment of muscle function; each measures different aspects. The Functional Strength Measurement (FSM) was developed to measure performance in activities in which strength is required.

Physical fitness in children with developmental coordination disorder: measurement matters.

Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) experience considerable difficulties coordinating and controlling their body movements during functional motor tasks. Thus, it is not surprising that children with DCD do not perform well on tests of physical fitness. The aim of this study was to determine whether deficits in motor coordination influence the ability of children with DCD to perform adequately on physical fitness tests.