Department of Physical Education, University of South Carolina, 1300 Wheat St, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA.
Natural Science Division, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA, USA.
Sports Med. 2019 Oct;49(10):1609-1618. doi: 10.1007/s40279-019-01150-5.
Developmental delay in motor competence may limit a child's ability to successfully participate in structured and informal learning/social opportunities that are critical to holistic development. Current motor competence levels in the USA are relatively unknown. The purposes of this study were to explore motor competence levels of US children aged 3-6 years, report percentages of children demonstrating developmental delay, and investigate both within and across childcare site predictors of motor competence, including sex, race, geographic region, socioeconomic status, and body mass index percentile classification. Potential implications from results could lead to a greater awareness of the number of children with developmental delay, the impetus for evidence-based interventions, and the creation of consistent qualification standards for all children so that those who need services are not missed.
Participants included children (N = 580, 296 girls) aged 3-6 years (M = 4.97, standard deviation = 0.75) from a multi-state sample. Motor competence was assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development, Second Edition and the 25th and 5th percentiles were identified as developmental delay-related cutoffs.
For both Test of Gross Motor Development, Second Edition subscales, approximately 77% of the entire sample qualified as at risk for developmental delay (≤ 25th percentile), while 30% of the entire sample were at or below 5th percentile. All groups (e.g., sex, race, socioeconomic status) were prone to developmental delay. Raw object control scores differed by sex.
Developmental delay in motor competence is an emerging epidemic that needs to be systematically acknowledged and addressed in the USA. By shifting norms based upon current data, there may be a lower standard of "typical development" that may have profound effects on factors that support long-term health.
运动能力发育迟缓可能会限制儿童成功参与对整体发展至关重要的结构化和非正式学习/社交机会的能力。目前美国的运动能力水平尚不清楚。本研究旨在探讨美国 3-6 岁儿童的运动能力水平，报告表现出发育迟缓的儿童的百分比，并调查儿童保育场所内和跨场所的运动能力预测因素，包括性别、种族、地理位置、社会经济地位和身体质量指数百分位分类。研究结果可能会引起人们对发育迟缓儿童数量的更多关注，推动基于证据的干预措施，并为所有儿童制定一致的资格标准，以确保不会错过那些需要服务的儿童。
参与者包括来自多州样本的 3-6 岁（M=4.97，标准差=0.75）的 580 名儿童（296 名女孩）。使用《粗大运动发育测试》第二版评估运动能力，将第 25 和第 5 百分位数确定为与发育迟缓相关的截断值。
在《粗大运动发育测试》第二版的两个分量表中，大约 77%的整个样本被认为有发育迟缓的风险（≤第 25 百分位数），而整个样本中有 30%的儿童处于或低于第 5 百分位数。所有群体（如性别、种族、社会经济地位）都容易出现发育迟缓。原始的物体控制分数因性别而异。
运动能力发育迟缓是美国一个亟待系统承认和解决的新兴问题。通过基于当前数据调整规范，可能会出现一个更低的“典型发展”标准，这可能会对支持长期健康的因素产生深远影响。
