Motor performance changes in children testing positive for HIV over 2 years.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the effect of HIV infection on the motor performance of children and preadolescents, the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP) was administered to see whether performance scores (raw and standard) would change with duration of the disease.

METHOD

Thirty-four children and preadolescents were tested on the BOTMP at initial diagnosis of HIV positive and again at 6-month intervals over a 2-year period for a total of five test sessions. The participants' scores on the Gross, Fine, and Battery Composites, as well as eight individual subtests, were compared with those of children who were developing typically.

RESULTS

Gross Composite and Battery Composite percentile scores were consistently 1 to 2 standard deviations below the means for the normal reference populations over the 2-year period. Fine Composite scores were closer than +.5 standard deviation to the mean for the normal reference population.

CONCLUSION

Gross motor function was more impaired than fine motor function in this sample of children and preadolescents who were HIV positive, and this pattern was unchanged after 2 years of infection. The BOTMP can be useful both to identify specific areas of motor deficits and to monitor changes in motor function over time after application of interventions.